Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has called for a fundamental change in humanity’s relationship with nature, greater ecological responsibility and international cooperation to address the environmental crisis.
In his message for September 1, which marks the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year and the Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment, Bartholomew warned that the ecological crisis reflects not only environmental destruction but also deeper problems in how modern humanity understands freedom, economic development and its relationship with nature.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate established September 1 as a day of prayer for the natural environment in 1989.
Ecological Crisis
Addressing bishops and faithful, Bartholomew described the modern ecological crisis as a crisis of human freedom, philosophy, ethics and civilisation.
He highlighted the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s environmental conferences, inter-Christian and interfaith dialogue, and proposals on environmental issues as part of a broader environmental agenda.
Bartholomew stressed the urgent need for a “Copernican turn” in the way humanity understands progress and approaches nature.
He said the Ecumenical Patriarchate would continue promoting its ecological vision, with particular emphasis on the theological dimension of protecting creation.
Bartholomew also argued that highlighting the religious and ethical dimensions of the environmental threat could increase awareness of humanity’s responsibility towards nature.
“Ultimately, humanity must stop acting as if it did not know and definitively abandon the illusion that planet Earth can forever overcome human-induced burdens and destruction, and that nature has the power to renew itself on its own,” he said.
He stressed that responsibility for protecting the natural environment must operate at global, national, local and personal levels.
Criticism of Consumerism
Bartholomew also criticised a model of development based on the constant accumulation of wealth and consumption, linking environmental destruction to deeper changes in human values and behaviour.
“Humanity is undermining its future and destroying its ‘home’,” he said, warning that modern humanity’s “sins” have created and continue to create divisions between people and nature.
He criticised what he called the modern “human-god”, accusing it of pursuing “geocide” while ignoring limits in the name of geopolitical plans, economic interests and consumerism.
Bartholomew also linked environmental destruction to the pursuit of essentially insatiable needs and deeper changes in people’s experiences and values.
A New Ecological Path
The Ecumenical Patriarch called on humanity to adopt a new framework of shared values centred on solidarity, collective responsibility and respect for both people and nature.
He concluded his message for the new ecclesiastical year by offering his wishes to the faithful and invoking the grace of Christ and the protection of the Virgin Mary.
