Conference of European Churches.
Press Release No: 20/15
25 August 2020
Brussels
Naveen Qayyum
Communication Officer
Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 2 234 68 42
E-mail: naveen@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope
Press Release No: 20/15
25 August 2020
Brussels
On the occasion of Season of Creation 2020, CEC President Rev. Christian Krieger together with the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) President H. Em. Card. Angelo Bagnasco have issued the following joint statement.
From 1 September to 4 October, Christians all over the world
celebrate the Season of Creation, as well as the Day of Creation on 1
September. Following the tradition from previous years, in CEC and CCEE,
we have taken advantage of this occasion and have encouraged our Member
Churches in Europe to acknowledge these days to celebrate the richness
of our faith as an expression to protect our common home.
The values of Season of Creation go back to the roots of the
Christian faith. Creation is a gift of God for mankind and for all
living beings. It is therefore our responsibility to protect it as good
and reliable stewards, and as faithful servants of God. “The earth is
the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it,”
(Psalm 24:1).
Pope Francis in the encyclical Laudato Si’ underlined that “the
urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring
the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral
development.” At the same time, he strongly appealed “for a new dialogue
about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a
conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge
we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
Similarly, one of the significant theologians of our era, Jurgen
Moltmann, has made it clear that “today the theological adversary is the
nihilism practised in our dealings with nature” and called for “a
discernment of the God, who is present in creation through his Holy
Spirit,” a discernment that “can bring men and women to reconciliation and peace with nature.”
Celebrating the Day of Creation and the Season of Creation has a
significant ecumenical dimension. While celebrating these days, we look
back and give thanks for the proposal of the late Ecumenical Patriarch
Dimitrios I in 1989. Since that time, the idea of the Season of Creation
and its ecumenical spirit has been further confirmed by the European
Ecumenical Assemblies organised jointly by CEC and CCEE in Basel 1989,
Graz 1997 and Sibiu 2007.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed how deeply the globe is
interconnected. We realised more than ever that we are not isolated from
each other and that conditions related to human health and well-being
are fragile. The impact of the pandemic forces us to take seriously the
need for vigilance and the need for conditions of sustainable life
throughout the earth. This is even more important when considering the
environmental devastation and the threat of climate change.
We invite you to celebrate the Season of Creation this year under the
heading of Jubilee for the Earth. The concept of Jubilee is rooted in
the Bible and underlines that there must exist a just and sustainable
balance between social, economic and ecological realities. The lesson
from the biblical concept of jubilee points us towards the need to
restore balance in the very systems of life, affirming the need for
equality, justice and sustainability and confirming the need for a
prophetic voice in defence of our common home.
We invite all of the shepherds and European Christians, the parishes,
church communities and every person of goodwill to pay attention to the
Season of Creation and to live it with an ecumenical spirit, united in
prayer and action.
For more information or an interview, please contact:Naveen Qayyum
Communication Officer
Conference of European Churches
Rue Joseph II, 174 B-1000 Brussels
Tel. +32 2 234 68 42
E-mail: naveen@cec-kek.be
Website: www.ceceurope.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceceurope
Twitter: @ceceurope