"The environmental threat is a dimension of the extended crisis in contemporary civilization," stated the Ecumenical Patriarch. "In this sense, confronting the problem cannot be successful on the basis of the principles of the same civilization, of the rationale behind it, which created it in the first place."
He reiterated the conviction that churches and religions can contribute significantly to a vital spiritual and evaluative conversion for the sake of the future of humanity and the planet. "The Christian faith recognizes the supreme value of humanity and creation alike," he said. "Faith in the God of wisdom and love inspires and supports the creative forces of humankind, strengthening it in the face of challenges and trials, even when overcoming these appears humanly impossible."
He also emphasized the need to understand that the contemporary ecological crisis impacts first and foremost the poorer inhabitants on earth. "There is a close and indissoluble bond between our care of creation and our service to the body of Christ, just as there is between the economic conditions of the poor and the ecological conditions of the planet," he said. "Scientists tell us that those most egregiously harmed by the current ecological crisis will continue to be those who have the least."
Read the full message (the English translation follows the original version in Greek)