Desmond Tutu, other Christian leaders speak out on climate change
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu and church leaders from the regions most affected by climate change will speak out on climate change from a faith perspective during the Copenhagen UN climate summit on Sunday, 13 December at 3.30 pm.
The press conference, preceded by a high-level ecumenical celebration, will be held on the occasion of an international bell ringing initiative, uniting thousands of churches around the world in an ecumenical call for climate justice.
What:
Press conference: Beyond politics and business – Climate change from a religious and ethical perspective. Christian leaders urge world leaders to agree on a fair, effective and binding climate deal that put the needs of the poor first.
Who:
Rev. Samuel Kobia (moderator)
General secretary, World Council of Churches, Switzerland
Archbishop (emeritus) Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1984 and anti-apartheid champion
Bishop Sofie Petersen
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Greenland
Rev. Tofiga Falani
President, Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu, Tuvalu
When:
Sunday, 13 December, 3.30 pm.
(immediately following the ecumenical celebration and bell ringing at the Cathedral, see below).
Where:
Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke), Copenhagen's Cathedral
(Nørregade 8, Copenhagen, at the Cathedral's Rotunda)
For photo, filming and interview opportunities please contact:
Helga Mikkelsen (DCA), +45-2969-9141 or +45-3318-7821
Roeland Scholtalbers (CIDSE), +45-3028-7853 (11-16 Dec.) or +32-47-896-2013
Juan Michel (WCC), +41-76-507-6363
Patrick Nicholson (Caritas), +45-3048-8782 (10-14 Dec.) or +39-33-4359-0700
More information
Half a million signatures for climate justice
Before the press conference, at 11.30 am, on the Rådhuspladsen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu will hand over half a million signatures and pledges for climate justice to Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC executive secretary.
Ecumenical celebration
At 2.00 pm, participants at the UN climate summit are invited to an ecumenical celebration in the presence of COP15 leaders and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at the Copenhagen Cathedral. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will preach the sermon.
The celebration will be broadcast live on Danish television and can be watched later on the website of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. (For pool arrangement details, please refer to the media contact persons above.)
International bell ringing
At 3.00 pm, the churches in Denmark will ring their bells 350 times in what will be the central act of a worldwide international bell ringing initiative, which will be carried out by thousands of churches around the world. The bell ringing symbolizes the 350 parts per million that mark the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere according to many scientists.
Churches and climate change
Church policies and actions on climate change are rooted in the Bible, which teaches the wholeness of God's creation and the centrality of justice in the Christian message. In addition to ecological, social, economic and political aspects, the ecumenical movement states that addressing climate change involves a spiritual dimension. From an ethical point of view, it regards climate change as a matter of justice, as impoverished and vulnerable communities in the global South are and will be those most affected by its consequences.
National Council of Churches in Denmark
DanChurchAid
CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis climate justice campaign
www.cidse.org/Area_of_work/Climate_change/
World Council of Churches
www.oikoumene.org/climatechange
