Posted on 29 September
2009 - The Christian Orthodox Church’s most
senior leader has issued a statement urging
world leaders to join him and his more than
200 million followers in pushing for a strong
and fair climate deal in Copenhagen this
December.
Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, nicknamed the ‘Green Patriarch’
for his longtime support of environmental
issues, is calling on political leaders
participating in climate change talks this
week in Bangkok to agree on strong and fair
measures to mitigate climate change in advance
of the United Nations Conference on Climate
Change in Copenhagen this December.
Bartholomew is among
a growing number of religious leaders from
various denominations weaving environmental
awareness into their teachings and activities.
Last year, more than 400 mosques in Malaysia
held sermons focused on turtle conservation
issues to discuss the need for better wildlife
protection in that country.
“The accomplishment
of a good agreement within the framework
of the international negotiations in Copenhagen
does not solely constitute a moral imperative
for the conservation of God’s creation,”
Patriarch Bartholomew said in a statement
issued this week.
“It is also a route
for economic and social sustainability.
Taking action against climate change should
not be understood as a financial burden,
but as an important opportunity for a healthier
planet, to the benefit of all humanity and
particularly of those states whose economic
development is lagging behind. We pray for
the achievement of the best possible international
agreement during the United Nations Conference
on Climate Change in Copenhagen, so that
the industrialized countries undertake generous
commitments for a total reduction of the
polluting greenhouse gas emissions by 40
percent until 2020, compared to the 11000
levels, as well as for the provision of
important financial support to the developing
countries”.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate
is the highest office of the Orthodox Church
and is based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew serves as the spiritual leader
to approximately 300 million Orthodox Christian
faithful across the globe. Since his election
in October 1991, Bartholomew has often spoken
publicly about the moral imperative to protect
the environment, according to the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Demetres Karavellas,
CEO of WWF-Greece welcomed the Patriarch's
statement, saying: “The call for strong
political commitment against climate change
by the leading Primate of the Orthodox Church
is a very clear message. It is time for
world leaders to listen to this ecumenical
message and achieve a binding climate deal
at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen
in December.”
