The Cry of the Earth

We now into the season of the Church Year known as Creation Time, an observance  of the past fifteen years or so in the United Church of Canada. It is truly ecumenical and global though, and on September 1st Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic church and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew issued a joint statement to mark the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

The two said that what’s happening in the world today reveals a “morally decaying scenario, where our attitude and behaviour towards creation obscures our calling as God’s co-operators.” They call on those “in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth, and to attend to the needs of the marginalized.” Those leaders, Francis and Bartholomew write, are called to “respond to the plea” of millions, and support “the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation.”

One point stressed by Francis and Bartholomew is that care for the environment, and care for the poor, are inextricably linked.“We are convinced,” they say, “that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.”

These thoughts are contained in Pope Francis' encyclical from a couple of years ago, Laudato Si, and they are wise and address the broader issues of the planet. I appreciate that these leaders of the majority of Christians on the planet are so forthright, and that they are offering an alternative to the pathetic denial of fundamentalist climate change deniers. The pontiff and patriarch didn't look ready for a hike in the woods as they signed the statement, but you can't have everything.

Here's hoping that someone is listening to what Francis and Bartholomew are saying.