Pope joins Orthodox, Anglican leaders in environmental plea
September 07, 2021
Pope Francis has joined Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew of Constantinople and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury in a joint message calling for “ever-closer collaboration among all churches in their commitment to care for creation.”
The message laments that men “have greedily consumed more of the earth’s resources than the planet can endure,” and calls for urgent action to change our way of life:
Now, in this moment, we have an opportunity to repent, to turn around in resolve, to head in the opposite direction. We must pursue generosity and fairness in the ways that we live, work and use money, instead of selfish gain.
The message says that a short-sighted pursuit of profit has caused the degradation of the environment, with the negative consequences falling primarily on the poor. The prelates suggest that the worldwide response to the Covid epidemic has furnished a healthier model for cooperation; “the the rapidly-spreading infection meant that we have depended on each other in our efforts to stay safe.”
The message is timed for the “Season of Creation”, being celebrated in September, leading up to a UN summit on climate change scheduled for November in Glasgow.
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