NEW ORLEANS — It is the religious duty of the Orthodox Christians to protect an environment harmed by natural disasters and society’s modern way of life, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said on Wednesday.
“We are living in a moment in history when we must work for solutions in faith, in love, in hope, and in responsibility,” Bartholomew said.
Speaking from a balcony overlooking the Mississippi River, the very subject of a week-long conference of religious, political and academic leaders convened here by the patriarch, Bartholomew kicked off the event by explaining that the river is in need of repair — just as the city is.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Photo provided)“The river is a microcosm of our planet,” he said. “In the water we observe many of the world’s ecological issues.”
In his speech introducing this week’s symposium, Bartholomew said that the natural resource of water has been damaged by the demands of modern culture, citing depletion by irrigation systems and the loss of half of the world’s rain forests.
“Without thinking, we have lost so much of the sponges responsible for the delivery of our fresh water,” he said.
Bartholomew’s call for solutions prompted Archbishop Demetrios, the head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, to call Bartholomew the “healing patriarch.”
“He tends to the wounds inflicted on the world by human causes and natural catastrophes,” the archbishop said.
Pope Benedict XVI sent a message to be delivered to symposium attendees expressing his support for environmental work, saying that Christ calls on the community to take responsibility for maintaining creation.
Former Vice President Al Gore, who has championed environmental causes since leaving office and was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, also sent a message congratulating the community for focusing attention on an issue he believes is in dire need of action.
The conference, held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel, is the eighth such convention bringing together religious leaders, politicians and academics to focus on potential solutions for the problems facing major bodies of water. The event continues through Sunday.