The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His All Holiness Bartholomew I, on Wednesday delivered a message of unity for the entire Orthodox world, speaking at the 10th world assembly of the Religions of Peace, in Lindau, Germany.
The Ecumenical Patriarch began:
“Today, among prominent representatives of state and religions, of the high diversity of faith-based traditions, it is our pleasure to offer the following keynote remarks on the very important theme, ‘Caring for our Common Future: Advancing Shared Well-Being’.”
He added:
“Since our election as Ecumenical Patriarch in 1991, we have unceasingly striven to raise awareness on pressing global challenges, such as the protection of the environment, the advancement of peace and reconciliation, the promotion of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, the foundation of a culture of justice and solidarity, and the resistance to all those tendencies that do harm to the dignity and sacredness of the human person and his inalienable fundamental rights. Almost twenty-eight years of active engagement with all these problems has revealed one truth: that nothing can be achieved if we work separately and independently. Nobody – not a nation, not a state, not a religion, nor science and technology – can face the current problems alone.
“We need one another; we need common mobilization, common efforts, common goals, common spirit. Our future is common, and the way toward this future is a common journey. This is why Religions for Peace International is so crucial, because it constitutes a unique opportunity to gather people of faith together and to express our care for the common good—at the center of which is the natural environment, currently threatened by the so-called ‘modern sins’ of humanity.”