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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has said "there are growing expectations that meaningful progress can be made as a result of the United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled to take place in Copenhagen next month", but "sacrifices will have to be made by all". The remarks were part of a speech on "Saving the Soul of the Planet" Bartholomew gave in Washington, D.C. as part of a two-and-a-half week visit to the United States.
"Not only is it unfair to ask the developing nations to sacrifice when the West does not – it is futile", the patriarch explained. "They care not what we say – they watch what we do. And if we are unwilling to make sacrifices, we have no moral authority to ask others, who have not tasted the fruits of development and wealth, to make sacrifices.
During his 20 October to 6 November visit, Patriarch Bartholomew spoke from the banks of the Mississippi River, where he led a conference on problems affecting the world's major bodies of water, conducted a prayer service at the United Nations, and met with US President Barack Obama, commending his climate change initiatives and urging him for an even more intensive campaign on behalf of ecological responsibility.
In September, Patriarch Bartholomew defined "preservation of creation as the proper way of worshipping the Creator" in his address to the Faith and Order Plenary Commission, which is the World Council of Churches' most important theological commission. "Working closely together on issues of ecological awareness and ecumenical dialogue is a crucial reflection of the 'everlasting covenant'" between God and His people, he added.
WCC activities ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
More information about the Ecumenical Patriarch's visit to the United States
