“The way to a sustainable future is sustainable development” emphasized Mr Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, tonight, Thursday, at this year’s graduation ceremony at the American College of Agriculture, addressing the consequences of climate change and how Orthodoxy approaches the global ecological problem.

Mr. Bartholomeos was named during the ceremony an emeritus professor of environmental science at the Perrotis College of the American School of Agriculture.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, in his greeting, said that the “modern, global, ecological problem has clear anthropogenic causes”, with obvious consequences, such as uncontrolled fires, destruction of forests and biodiversity, pollution of the atmosphere and seas and many other natural and social impacts of climate change. He underlined that in the 32 years of his Patriarchate, on the occasion of the environment, the Ecumenical Patriarchate organized scientific conferences, interreligious symposia, meetings, actions, with the aim of raising people’s awareness of the environment and the protection of nature.

“The Ecumenical Patriarchate was the first Christian church, which reacted before the ecological crisis,” said Mr. Bartholomeus, characterizing the destruction of nature as a “sin”. He emphasized that the ecological initiatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were recognized internationally and its messages, as well as many of its actions to combat climate change, inspired other religions, governments, ecological movements, etc.

“The very life of the Church, Faith, Divine Worship, the Eucharist, monasticism and ascetic life, charity, the communal way of life, church art, all these have an eco-friendly texture and reference. It is applied ecology,” the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized and continued:

“Church life is a victory against alienating forces, which contribute to the destruction of possessions, such as greed, consumerism, individualism, greed, the transformation of nature into useful material, etc.. For this reason we owe to underline that the ecological interests of the Orthodox Church are not an occasional reaction to the current crisis. The ecological problem was simply the occasion for the Church to highlight this important dimension of its life and morals. Orthodoxy has always been, so to speak, the “green” Church”.

The Ecumenical Patriarch pointed out that the Orthodox Church highlighted through its messages, that “the environmental problem has a spiritual and moral dimension” and, through its theological approach, revealed “unknown causes of the ecological crisis and possibilities of getting out of it”. “We also proclaimed that the major religions, utilizing their ecophilic traditions, can and do contribute in this direction,” he added.

“Our authoritative relationship to Creation is a result of our alienation from God. It is not possible to have authentic faith in God and destroy his good Creation” continued the Ecumenical Patriarch and underlined: “Today, as it is said, a third world war against nature is unfolding. The effects of the ecological crisis touch the quality of our lives, but also our very survival on planet Earth. Climate change is no longer a future scenario, but a painful, tangible reality.”

Mr. Bartholomeos said that “geocide” continues today, with unfair practices, as the huge stakes for the environment and for people’s lives are overlooked or underestimated, “in the name of geopolitical planning and economic interests”. He noted that only political decisions, state interventions, international climate agreements, and the reactions of movements are not enough to reverse the course of the effects of climate change, pointing out the positive effects of Education on environmental education and the awakening of young people, and in the cultivation of ecological consciousness.

“We need an ecological awakening, a ‘Copernican’ shift in our values, a radical change in mentality, the development of a new ethos. Otherwise we will occasionally treat the symptoms” said Mr. Bartholomeos and pointed out: “Our future is ecological and social in inextricably linked”.

“The way to a sustainable future is sustainable development,” continued the Ecumenical Patriarch. “The terms of this path include the ecological economy, the change in the production and use of energy, in agricultural and industrial production, in transport and commuting. New consumer standards are necessary. Also, the realization that economic and technological development does not automatically mean progress”.

Mr. Bartholomeos also praised the environmental direction of the studies of the American Agricultural School and “Perrotis College” and its scientific teaching on primary production with respect for the environment, saying: “This is the ecological one-way (sustainable development) for the whole of humanity. This is also your course, dear young people, and the content of your responsibility. Inspired and guided by this school, which you have chosen for her studies. We praise its eco-friendly orientation, multi-dimensional curricula, combination of scientific knowledge, research and emphasis on practice and collaborations. Your Patriarch is sure that in the future, you will belong to the ecological vanguard”.

Mr. Bartholomew was prefaced by the president of the American Agricultural School, Jeff Lansdale, pointing out the important contribution of the Ecumenical Patriarch to the awakening of ecological consciousness at the global level and for his international actions and interventions to deal with climate change, but also emphasizing the global influence he exerts, as a role model and as a personality, in efforts to save and protect the environment.

The graduation ceremony was attended by metropolitans and clergy of the region and of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, representatives of local authorities, former ministers and parliamentarians, professors, parents and students of the school, etc.