Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

382 Pages·2011·4.349 MB·English

by  Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, John Chryssavgis

ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN
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OrthodoxChristianityandContemporaryThought
Series Editors:GeorgeDemacopoulosandAristotle Papanikolaou
ThisseriesconsistsofbooksthatseektobringOrthodoxChristianityinto
an engagement with contemporary forms of thought. Its goal is to pro-
mote (1) historical studies in Orthodox Christianity that are interdisci-
plinary, employ a variety of methods, and speak to contemporary issues;
and (2) constructive theological arguments in conversation with patristic
sourcesandthatfocusoncontemporaryquestionsrangingfromthetradi-
tional theological and philosophical themes of God and human identity
to cultural, political, economic, and ethical concerns. The books in the
serieswillexploreboththerelevancyofOrthodoxChristianitytocontem-
porary challenges and the impact of contemporary modes of thought on
Orthodoxself-understandings.
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ON EARTH
AS IN HEAVEN
R
Ecological Vision and Initiatives of
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW
Editedandwithan Introductionby
John Chryssavgis
ordham niversity ress
F U P
2012
New York
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Copyright(cid:2)2012FordhamUniversityPress
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
BartholomewI,EcumenicalPatriarchofConstantinople,1940–
Onearthasinheaven:ecologicalvisionandinitiativesofEcumenicalPatriarch
Bartholomew/EcumenicalPatriarchBartholomew;editedandwithanintroductionby
JohnChryssavgis.—1sted.
p.cm.—(OrthodoxChristianityandcontemporarythought)
Includesindex.
ISBN978–0-8232–3885–9(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Humanecology—Religiousaspects—OrthodoxEasternChurch. 2.Environmental
degradation—Religiousaspects—Christianity. 3.Globalwarming—Religious
aspects—Christianity. 4.Climaticchanges. 5.OrthodoxEastern
Church—Doctrines. I.Chryssavgis,John. II.Title.
BX337.5.B368 2012
261.8(cid:2)80882819—dc23
2011018517
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
14 13 12 5 4 3 2 1
Firstedition
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ontents
C
Foreword vii
HRHPrincePhilip,DukeofEdinburgh
Preface xi
Introduction 1
TheGreenPatriarch,1•InitiativesandActivities,4•ReadingThis
Volume,15
1. CalltoVigilanceandPrayer:PatriarchalEncyclicals
forSeptember1st 23
MessagesbyEcumenicalPatriarchDimitrios(1972–1991),23•
MessagesbyEcumenicalPatriarchBartholomew,26
2. OrthodoxTheologyandtheEnvironment:GeneralAddresses 65
AwardCeremonies,65•Religion,Science,andtheEnvironment
Symposia,79•ConferencesandEvents,95•Articles,122
3. NatureandCosmos:Beauty andHarmonyofCreation 145
AwardCeremony,145•Symposia,148•Events,153
4. EcologyandEthics:VirtuesandValues,
ResponsibilityandJustice 158
ConferencesandSeminars,158•RSESymposia,174
5. PrayerandSpirituality:TransfigurationandSacrifice 194
ConferencesandSeminars,194•Religion,Science,andthe
EnvironmentSymposia,215•PublicationsandReflections,226
6. EducationandEconomy: Conservation,
Education,andPeople 236
SummerSeminarsandRSESymposia,236•Summits,Events,and
Ceremonies,250
v
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vi (cid:3) Contents
7. ‘‘All intheSameBoat’’:Intergenerational
andInterdisciplinary Solidarity 269
SummerSeminarsandRSESymposia,269•CivicandPolitical
Assemblies,286
8. Interviews andComments:ASelection 297
CharlieRose,297•ACommonVision,298•TheHourof
Orthodoxy,300•EnvironmentalProtectionIsCritical,301•An
Initiative,NotaNovelty,302•OrthodoxSpiritualityas
Maximalistm303•ANewWorldview,304•TheHeresyof
Anthropocentrism,304•HealthyEnvironment—HealthyPeople,
304•TheHierarchyofValues,305•ArroganceTowardNature,305
•SoundingtheAlarmofDanger,306•AnEcumenicalVision,306
•ACollectiveConcern,306•AnInitiativetoEmulate,306•
SpiritualRootsofaMaterialProblem,307•HungerandPoverty,
307•AVisionofReconciliation,310•EcologyandMonasticism,
310•ThePriestandtheScientist,311•Populationand
Environment,312•FaithandScience,312•SaintsandtheWorld,
313•TheologyandLife,314•SpiritualRootsofaScientificIssue,
314•CollectiveResponsibility,315•OrthodoxyandEnvironment,
317•ConcernfortheEnvironment,318•TheRoleofChristianity,
320•TheSophieFoundation,322•EconomicValuesandEcological
Vigilance,325•TheContributionofOrthodoxy,326•Green
TheologyandtheUnitedStates,327•ClimateChangeandPolitical
Resolve,328•ReligionandScience,330•EnvironmentalAwareness,
330•BeliefandEcology,331
9. DeclarationsandStatements 335
ReligiousDeclarationsandStatements,335•PublicMessages,340•
OccasionalStatements,347
Index 353
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oreword
F
There is a law of unintended consequences, for when things go wrong;
but there should also be a law for unexpected consequences when things
happen to go right. While I was International President of the World
Wide Fund for Nature in the 1980s, one of our main concerns was how
to get it across to the public that there really was a serious threat to the
survival of many wild species of plants and animals and to the wild areas
thataretheirhabitats.Itseemedtomethatwhilebooks,lectures,newspa-
per articles, and television programs were essential to getting the message
across, they reached only those members of the public who used these
means of getting to know what was going on in the world around them.
These are members of the educated and literate group whose ‘‘world
around them’’ is either a city or an advanced agricultural economy. On
the other other hand, the inhabitants of the great wilderness areas of the
world are less likely to be literate and very unlikely to have the benefit of
printedandelectronicmedia.
It seemed to me that the only people who might be in a position to
know about the threats to the natural environment and to be in touch
with the people who lived and survived in the areas where wildlife was
most as risk would be their local religious leaders. It then struck me that
most, if not all, religious faiths acknowledged that our universe was the
creation of an Almighty being—in which case, each of these faiths ought
to feel a responsibility to carefor the ‘‘creation’’of our planetEarth with
its great expanses of wilderness lands and for the great multitude of wild
animals andplants.
Itsohappenedthat1986wasthetwenty-fifthanniversaryofthefound-
ing of WWF, and there was much discussion about where to hold the
Annual General Meeting and the celebrations of that anniversary. After
much discussion, it was eventually decided to hold the meeting at Assisi,
vii
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viii (cid:3) Foreword
the home of St. Francis, whose concern for wild animals is well known.
It was also agreed that it should be suggested to the Minister General of
theFranciscanOrderthathemightinviteleadersoftheothermajorfaiths
to a meeting in Assisi to discuss among themselves their several attitudes
toward God’s creation and the natural world. There was no suggestion
that they should agree amongst themselves, only that they should each
attempttodefinetheirparticulartraditional beliefsabout‘‘thecreation.’’
Attheendofthemeeting,itwasdecidedtoholdapressconferenceto
trytoexplain whatthefaithleadershadbeendiscussing.Whenonejour-
nalistaskedwhetheritwasintendedtosetupaneworganization,Ifound
myselfreplyingtotheeffectthatIdidnotthinkthatanyformalorganiza-
tionwasnecessary,butthatWWFwouldhappilyactasa‘‘consultant’’to
the faiths on any practical questions of conservation that they might care
to raise. Out of this grew the concept of the Alliance of Religions and
Conservation—which,conveniently,becameARCforshort.Thiswasthe
unexpectedconsequenceofmy speculation.
In the event, Assisi posed a challenge to the major faiths, and each
responded in its own way, but none with greater enthusiasm than the
Greek Orthodox Church under the inspired leadership of His All Holi-
ness the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. In September 1988, I
was invited to an interfaith gathering initiated by the Ecumenical Patri-
archate on the island of Patmos, where St. John wrote his Revelation, to
discussthesubjectof‘‘ReligionandtheEnvironment.’’Unable toattend
in person, I later proposed that the then–Ecumenical Patriarch consider
establishingaspecialdayofreflectionandcelebrationoftheworld’snatu-
ralheritage.ThiswasagreedtobytheHolySynod,andthefirstsuchday
wascommemoratedonSeptember1,1989.Thatmeeingprovedtobeonly
the first of a long series of activities and meetings with respect to the
environmentbytheEcumenicalPatriarchate.
In 1991, His All Holiness Bartholomew was elected Patriarch of Con-
stantinople, and, through his efforts, September 1 has since become the
focus for Orthodox, and now Protestant Christian, reflection and action
toprotecttheworld’snaturalenvironment.ThewritingsofHisAllHoli-
ness on this subject for successive celebrations of September 1 open this
significant volume. His work has not just involved a remarkable range of
lectures, presentations and speeches—as can be seen in this volume—he
hasalsosoughttobringpeopleofdifferentfaiths togethertothink about
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Foreword (cid:3) ix
how best to work together to halt the rapid degradation of the world’s
naturalenvironment.
WWF also helped to fund the first series of theological meetings held
ontheislandofHalkiin1995,whichIwasabletoattend.Sincethen,His
All Holiness has been actively involved in the development of conserva-
tionprogramsbyOrthodoxChristiansallovertheworld.
It is only too evident that this commitment is due to his exploration
andunderstandingoftheinsightsandteachingsofhisChurch.Heisnot
following a fashion; His All Holiness quite evidently cares for nature be-
causeHolyScripturetellshimtodoso,becausetheChurchfathersshow
him this is right, and because Orthodox tradition has retained and kept
alive the belief that we are part of the greater purpose of God for all life
on Earth.
For more than twenty years, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has
spoken about theChristianrelationship withnature,and, asmany ofthe
speeches in this book testify, he has taken the time to delve deeply into
the philosophical, psychological, and theological issues that are raised by
the question of our place within God’s purpose, the purpose of nature,
and to reflect upon what it means to be human within this broader
context.
In1986Ihadavagueideaabouttryingtoencouragetheworld’sfaiths
to take an interest in the protection of the world’s natural environment,
and,possibly,tobecomeallieswiththeworld’sconservationmovements.
ThededicatedcommitmentofHisAllHoliness,asreflectedinthisbook,
has been the unexpected consequence of that tentative conception, and I
havenothingbutdeepadmirationandgratitudeforwhatHisAllHoliness
hasachieved.
Philip
DukeofEdinburgh
BuckinghamPalace
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