His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a Message to
the Secretary-General of the United Nations His Excellency António
Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, on the occasion of the United Nations International Summit on Climate Action that
took place in New York on 23 September 2019, in which he urged all the
leaders of the international community to step up their ambition and
accelerate progress “toward meeting the decarbonization targets of
the Paris Agreement, as well as to begin looking beyond to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s indisputable imperative for
net zero emissions as soon as possible.” Also, the Ecumenical
Patriarch, known for his initiatives to raise the awareness of the world
community about the need to protect the natural environment as part of
Creation, in his Message encourages “the world’s economically
developed countries to provide the necessary financial support to
developing countries in order to facilitate a socially equitable and
efficient transition to an environmentally sustainable and
climate-friendly course of development. While investment models can be
successful, charitable giving must not be overlooked.”
In his Message, the Green Patriarch recalls that this year marks the
30th anniversary of the first Encyclical issued by the Ecumenical
Patriarchate for the protection of the environment and since then 1
September of each year has been dedicated as the World Day of Prayer for
the protection of Creation. Here is his message:
Your Excellency António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
We are encouraged by the work that Your Excellency has done to
combat climate change during your tenure as Secretary-General of the
United Nations and look forward to the further advancement of the
response of the international community to this crisis at the upcoming
Climate Action Summit. This noble initiative has the potential to
reinforce and enforce a solid framework for a post-carbon era along a
socially just pathway to its consequent challenges. We are reminded of
the nine symposia we hosted on the environment, two of which were
co-hosted with your predecessor, His Excellency Kofi Annan.
In view of the Climate Action Summit, we urge you and all leaders
of the international community to increase the ambition and accelerate
the progress toward meeting the decarbonization targets of the Paris
Agreement, as well as to begin looking beyond to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change’s indisputable imperative for net zero emissions
as soon as possible. Furthermore, we encourage the world’s economically
developed countries to provide the necessary financial support to
developing countries in order to facilitate a socially equitable and
efficient transition to an environmentally sustainable and
climate-friendly course of development. While investment models can be
successful, charitable giving must not be overlooked.
This year marks the 30th Anniversary since the Ecumenical
Patriarchate’s first encyclical on the protection of the environment.
Along the way, the Vatican and the Anglican Communion, as well as the
World Council of Churches, have embraced and endorsed September 1st as a
global day of prayer for the environment. Through our annual
encyclicals, we implore the global community to work together to save
the planet. We are convinced that governments, universities, businesses,
civil society, people of faith and all people of good will must unite
behind science in a determined and harmonious effort to save God’s
creation from human-induced climate change, which is now threatening the
natural world and human livelihoods at an unprecedented scale. Now more
than ever humanity must stand above all cultural and other differences –
be they national or religious divisions, historic and partisan
enmities, economic and personal interests – in order to ensure a bright
future for our children and for generations yet to come.
Finally, please know that our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America is in General Consultative Status through ECOSOC and represents
the Orthodox Church at the United Nations. Thus, we are prepared to
partner in advocacy for the protection of our precious environment.
Thanking Your Excellency for your sincere consideration of our
request, we convey to you our Patriarchal prayers and best wishes for
the climate saving deliberations at the New York Summit on September 23,
2019.
At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the tenth of September, 2019Prayerfully yours,
✠ Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
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