Constantinople, August 31, 2020
kaiciid.org
In a new message on the occasion of the ecclesiastical new year, marked tomorrow on the New Calendar, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, widely known as the “Green Patriarch,” calls upon Orthodox youth worldwide to recognize the significance of their Orthodox faith and its “ecofriendly values,” at a time when humanity possesses the technology to inflict massive damage to the environment.
It is widely believed, the Patriarch writes, that the environment is threatened like never before in history, and now the question is not even of quality of life, but of the very preservation of life on this planet, when “for the first time in history, man is capable of destroying the conditions of life on earth.”
While science serves life, allowing mankind to overcome various illnesses and “create new positive perspectives for the future,” science also “provides man with all-powerful means, whose misuse can be turned destructive.”
Pat. Bartholomew characteristically refers to the 2016 Crete Council, which “rightly and splendidly decreed that ‘scientific knowledge des not mobilize the moral will of man, who knows the dangers but continues to act as if he did not know’ (Encyclical, § 11).”
The protection of the environment is the common responsibility of all, Pat. Bartholomew writes, but there are those who “cultivate the illusion that the pretended ‘global ecological destruction’ is an ideological fabrication of ecological movements and that the natural environment has the power of renewing itself.”
How much longer can nature endure fruitless discussions and consultations and delays in taking decisive actions, the Patriarch wonders.
The present COVID pandemic has proved man’s role in the destruction of the environment, the Constantinople primate writes, as restrictions on transportation and various industries have led to a “reduction of pollution and encumbrance of the atmosphere.”
“There is no genuine progress that is founded on the destruction of the natural environment,” Pat. Bartholomew affirms. “Economic development cannot remain a nightmare for ecology.”
The Patriarchate of Constantinople, “which in recent decades has pioneered in the field of the protection of the creation,” will continue its ecological activities, including holding conferences, the mobilization of the faithful, the promotion of environmental protection as a central subject for interreligious dialogue, and so on.
“The very life of the Church is an applied ecology,” the Patriarch writes, as the Church’s Sacramental, liturgical, and ascetical life “express[es] and generate[s] the deepest respect for creation.” Respect for the environment is an act of praise towards God, while the destruction of the environment is an offense against Him, Pat. Bartholomew writes.
“The ecofriendly values of the Orthodox tradition, the precious legacy of the Fathers, constitute an embankment against the culture, whose axiological foundation is the domination of man over nature,” he continues. We can assess the problems and possibilities of contemporary civilization through our faith. Thus, “We call upon Orthodox young men and women to realize the significance of living as faithful Christians and contemporary people. Faith in the eternal destiny of man strengthens our witness in the world.”
In conclusion, Pat. Bartholomew wishes all a blessed new year, filled with “Christ-like deeds” for the good of creation and the glory of God.
Read his full statement on the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Facebook page.
