News
Fifteen representatives from churches, ecumenical organizations and other partners from Africa, Asia, North and South America, Europe and the Pacific came together this week in Crete to assess the work of the World Council of Churches (WCC) on care for creation and climate justice and to strategize for the future.
The meeting took place from 1 to 3 October hosted by the Institute of Theology and Ecology of the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Kolympari, Greece.
Dr Konstantinos S. Kenanidis and Dr Lucas Andrianos, heads of the academy and the institute, welcomed the participants and played an active role in the meeting of the WCC working group on climate change. The meeting followed directly on the Conference on Sustainable Alternatives for Poverty Reduction and Ecological Justice jointly organized by the academy and the WCC.
“The meeting was, for the group, a relevant milestone in the pilgrimage towards the WCC Assembly in Busan, Korea, which will be held in one year's time,” said Dr Guillermo Kerber, WCC programme executive on Care for Creation and Climate Justice.
With the theme of the WCC 10th Assembly, “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”, as their leitmotiv, the working group reaffirmed the relevance of the work for human rights and its implications on climate change, advocating for the establishment of a Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The group also evaluated outcomes of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio, Brazil. Members of the working group stressed the need to overcome frustration at poor outcomes of the conferences and to enhance cooperation among ecumenical partners in support of responsible and effective international climate and sustainability negotiations.
Marcelo Leites, regional secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), stressed how insights from the working group meetings had contributed in developing WSCF campaigns on eco-justice.
Julia Edwards from the Pacific Conference of Churches shared reflections on the challenge of climate resettlement, a priority for the churches in the region, and its need to be echoed by the global ecumenical family. Isaiah Toroitich from ACT Alliance also reaffirmed the relevance of ecumenical cooperation on climate advocacy.
Each morning, prayers and reflections commemorated the Time for Creation, a month-long period when liturgies and meditations are held around the world by churches to express their concern for the threatened creation.
Sessions during the meeting were dedicated to preparations for the assembly, and ideas were developed for proposals for the Madang workshops and exhibitions.
To deepen theological insights on the WCC's work on care for creation and climate issues, the next meeting of the working group will take place at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland, during a planned seminar on eco-theology.
WCC conference probes sustainability crises (WCC press release of 27 September 2012)
