Religion & Ecology
July 2010
Banner photo: Alpine Flowers and Cloud Reflection, Colorado [© Carr Clifton]
A Panoramic Vision of the World
His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, is the head of the Orthodox Christian Church. As a citizen of Turkey, Patriarch Bartholomew's personal experience provides him with a unique perspective on the continuing dialogue among Catholic, Muslim and Orthodox communities, and he is the spiritual leader of approximately 250 million faithful worldwide. Most notable, however, are his efforts toward greater environmental awareness, which have earned him the title "Green Patriarch." He has also been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the US Congress for his work in aid of love, peace and reconciliation for humanity.
Patriarch Bartholomew during a symposium on the Arctic Ocean, 2007 [Nikolaos Manginas]
SGI Quarterly: What were your first experiences of nature as a young person growing up in the Orthodox faith?
Patriarch Bartholomew: As a young child, accompanying the priest of our local village to remote chapels on our native island of Imvros in Turkey, the connection of the beautiful mountainside to the splendor of God was evident. The environment provides a panoramic vision of the world, like the wide-angle lens of a camera, which prevents us from exploiting its natural resources in a selfish way. However, to reach a mature attitude toward the natural environment, we must take the time to listen to the voice of creation. It is unfortunate that we lead our lives without noticing the environmental concert that is playing out before our eyes and ears. In this orchestra, each minute detail plays a critical role. Nothing can be removed without the entire symphony being affected. No tree, animal or fish can be removed without the entire picture being distorted, if not destroyed. The recent ecological disaster off the Gulf Coast in Louisiana reveals the consequences of ignoring this cosmic worldview.
SGIQ: Why are the ecological issues facing the world to be considered moral issues?
PB: I have repeatedly stated that the crisis we are facing in our world is not primarily ecological; it is a crisis concerning the way we perceive the world. We are treating our planet in a selfish, Godless manner precisely because we fail to see it as a gift inherited from above; it is our obligation to receive, respect and return this gift to future generations. Therefore, before we can effectively deal with problems in our environment, we must change the way we regard the world; otherwise, we are simply dealing with symptoms, and not with their causes. We require "a new heavenly" worldview if we are to desire "a new Earth," as is envisioned in the Book of Revelation.
SGIQ: What is your motivation for engaging in dialogue and building bridges?
PB: I am deeply convinced that any appreciation of the environmental concerns of our times must occur in dialogue with other Christian confessions, with other religious faiths, as well as with scientific disciplines. This is why, in 1994, the Patriarchate established the Religious and Scientific Committee. For, just as we share the Earth, so we share the responsibility for our pollution of the Earth and the obligation to find tangible ways of healing the natural environment. To date, the Religious and Scientific Committee has hosted eight international, interdisciplinary and interreligious symposia to reflect on the fate of the rivers and seas, as well as to force the pace of religious debate on the natural environment. These symposia have gathered leading scientists, environmentalists and journalists together with senior policy makers and representatives of the world's main religious faiths in an effort to draw global attention to the plight of the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea, the Danube, the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Amazon, the Arctic Sea and the Mississippi. Participants meet in plenary, workshops and briefing sessions, hearing a variety of speakers on various environmental and ethical themes. Delegates also visit key environmental sites in the particular region of the symposium.
SGIQ: What, in your view, is your greatest success in these efforts?
PB: The greatest success undoubtedly lies in the process of gathering leaders of various disciplines. In the past, scientists were ignorant of religion, while theologians were suspicious of scientists. It is a matter of sincere effort and humility to sit beside representatives of other faith communities and scientific disciplines in order together to embrace accountability for the pollution of our planet and assume responsibility for the future of our world. The Religion, Science and Environment symposia have taught us that God's creation can provide a common interest and concern, a universal objective and aspiration. All of us would like to leave behind a better world for our children.
SGIQ: Are there specific concepts in Orthodox Christianity that can help us in changing our attitude in relation to the environment?
PB: We believe that, as God's creation, this world is a sacred mystery, which in and of itself precludes any arrogance or mastery by human beings. Indeed, exploitation of the world's resources is identified more with Adam's "original sin" than with God's wonderful gift. It is the result of selfishness and greed, which arise from alienation from God and an abandonment of the sacramental worldview. We have, therefore, first of all proposed that the concept of sin be expanded--beyond the merely psychological or social--to include every act of pollution and misuse of God's creation. In this regard, we would add two other concepts. A proper use of the Earth's natural resources implies a spirituality of "gratitude" (or Eucharist) and an ethos of "self-restraint" (or asceticism), so that we no longer willfully consume every fruit, but instead manifest a sense of frugality from some things for the sake of valuing all things. Then, we shall learn to care for plants and animals, for trees and rivers, for mountains and seas, for all human beings and the world.
SGIQ: How can religion come to be seen as a "savior of humanity," not a threat to humanity?
PB: On the sixth day of creation, God created man and woman in His divine image and likeness. Yet, what most people overlook is that the sixth day is not dedicated to the formation of Adam alone. That sixth day was shared, according to the Book of Genesis, with "living creatures of every kind; cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the Earth.î This close connection between humanity and the rest of creation is a powerful reminder of our intimate relationship with the environment. While there is undoubtedly something unique about our creation in God's image, there is more that unites us than separates us, not only as human beings but also with creation. It is a lesson we have learned the hard way in recent decades. The connection is not merely emotional; it is profoundly spiritual, providing a sense of continuity and community as well as an expression of identity and compassion with all of creation. In the seventh century, Abba Isaac the Syrian said: "A merciful heart burns with love for all creation: for human beings, birds and beasts--for all God's creatures." When we recognize this connection, then we shall be instruments of peace and life, not tools of violence and death. Then everything will assume its divine purpose, as God originally intended for the world.
