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A JOINT MESSAGE FOR THE PROTECTION OF CREATION
For more than a year, we have all experienced
the devastating effects of a global pandemic—all
of us, whether poor or wealthy, weak or strong.
Some were more protected or vulnerable than
others, but the rapidly-spreading infection
meant that we have depended on each other in our
efforts to stay safe. We realised that, in
facing this worldwide calamity, no one is safe
until everyone is safe, that our actions really
do affect one another, and that what we do today
affects what happens tomorrow.
These are not new lessons, but we have had to
face them anew. May we not waste this moment. We
must decide what kind of world we want to leave
to future generations. God mandates: ‘Choose
life, so that you and your children might live’
(Dt 30:19). We must choose to live differently;
we must choose life.
September is celebrated by many Christians as
the Season of Creation, an opportunity to pray
and care for God’s creation. As world leaders
prepare to meet in November at Glasgow to
deliberate on the future of our planet, we pray
for them and consider what the choices we must
all make. Accordingly, as leaders of our
Churches, we call on everyone, whatever their
belief or worldview, to endeavour to listen to
the cry of the earth and of people who are poor,
examining their behaviour and pledging
meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the earth
which God has given us.
The Importance of Sustainability
In our common Christian tradition, the
Scriptures and the Saints provide illuminating
perspectives for comprehending both the
realities of the present and the promise of
something larger than what we see in the moment.
The concept of stewardship—of individual and
collective responsibility for our God-given
endowment—presents a vital starting-point for
social, economic and environmental
sustainability. In the New Testament, we read of
the rich and foolish man who stores great wealth
of grain while forgetting about his finite end (Lk
12.13–21). We learn of the prodigal son who
takes his inheritance early, only to squander it
and end up hungry (Lk 15.11–32). We are
cautioned against adopting short term and
seemingly inexpensive options of building on
sand, instead of building on rock for our common
home to withstand storms (Mt 7.24–27). These
stories invite us to adopt a broader outlook and
recognise our place in the extended story of
humanity.
But we have taken the opposite direction. We
have maximised our own interest at the expense
of future generations. By concentrating on our
wealth, we find that long-term assets, including
the bounty of nature, are depleted for
short-term advantage. Technology has unfolded
new possibilities for progress but also for
accumulating unrestrained wealth, and many of us
behave in ways which demonstrate little concern
for other people or the limits of the planet.
Nature is resilient, yet delicate. We are
already witnessing the consequences of our
refusal to protect and preserve it (Gn 2.15).
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 Impact on People Living with Poverty
The current climate crisis speaks volumes about
who we are and how we view and treat God’s
creation. We stand before a harsh justice:
biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and
climate change are the inevitable consequences
of our actions, since we have greedily consumed
more of the earth’s resources than the planet
can endure. But we also face a profound
injustice: the people bearing the most
catastrophic consequences of these abuses are
the poorest on the planet and have been the
least responsible for causing them. We serve a
God of justice, who delights in creation and
creates every person in God’s image, but also
hears the cry of people who are poor.
Accordingly, there is an innate call within us
to respond with anguish when we see such
devastating injustice.
Today, we are paying the price. The extreme
weather and natural disasters of recent months
reveal afresh to us with great force and at
great human cost that climate change is not only
a future challenge, but an immediate and urgent
matter of survival. Widespread floods, fires and
droughts threaten entire continents. Sea levels
rise, forcing whole communities to relocate;
cyclones devastate entire regions, ruining lives
and livelihoods. Water has become scarce and
food supplies insecure, causing conflict and
displacement for millions of people. We have
already seen this in places where people rely on
small scale agricultural holdings. Today we see
it in more industrialised countries where even
sophisticated infrastructure cannot completely
prevent extraordinary destruction.
Tomorrow could be worse. Today’s children and
teenagers will face catastrophic consequences
unless we take responsibility now, as ‘fellow
workers with God’ (Gn 2.4–7), to sustain our
world. We frequently hear from young people who
understand that their futures are under threat.
For their sake, we must choose to eat, travel,
spend, invest and live differently, thinking not
only of immediate interest and gains but also of
future benefits.We repent of our generation’s
sins. We stand alongside our younger sisters and
brothers throughout the world in committed
prayer and dedicated action for a future which
corresponds ever more to the promises of God.
The Imperative of Cooperation
Over the course of the pandemic, we have learned
how vulnerable we are. Our social systems
frayed, and we found that we cannot control
everything. We must acknowledge that the ways we
use money and organize our societies have not
benefited everyone. We find ourselves weak and
anxious, submersed in a series of crises;
health, environmental, food, economic and
social, which are all deeply interconnected.
These crises present us with a choice. We are in
a unique position either to address them with
shortsightedness and profiteering or seize this
as an opportunity for conversion and
transformation. If we think of humanity as a
family and work together towards a future based
on the common good, we could find ourselves
living in a very different world. Together we
can share a vision for life where everyone
flourishes. Together we can choose to act with
love, justice and mercy. Together we can walk
towards a fairer and fulfilling society with
those who are most vulnerable at the centre.
But this involves making changes. Each of us,
individually, must take responsibility for the
ways we use our resources. This path requires an
ever-closer collaboration among all churches in
their commitment to care for creation. Together,
as communities, churches, cities and nations, we
must change route and discover new ways of
working together to break down the traditional
barriers between peoples, to stop competing for
resources and start collaborating.
To those with more far-reaching
responsibilities—heading administrations,
running companies, employing people or investing
funds—we say: choose people-centred profits;
make short-term sacrifices to safeguard all our
futures; become leaders in the transition to
just and sustainable economies. ‘To whom much is
given, much is required.’ (Lk 12:48)
This is the first time that the three of us feel
compelled to address together the urgency of
environmental sustainability, its impact on
persistent poverty, and the importance of global
cooperation. Together, on behalf of our
communities, we appeal to the heart and mind of
every Christian, every believer and every person
of good will. We pray for our leaders who will
gather in Glasgow to decide the future of our
planet and its people. Again, we recall
Scripture: ‘choose life, so that you and your
children may live’ (Dt 30:19). Choosing life
means making sacrifices and exercising
self-restraint.
All of us—whoever and wherever we are—can play a
part in changing our collective response to the
unprecedented threat of climate change and
environmental degradation.
Caring for God’s creation is a spiritual
commission requiring a response of commitment.
This is a critical moment. Our children’s future
and the future of our common home depend on it.
1st September 2021
Ecumenical Patriarch
Pope
Archbishop of Canterbury
Bartholomew
Francis
Justin
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