Environment

The creation of our world is an expression of God’s eternal love, a gift we are called to care for but too often misuse and take for granted.

A woman wearing headphones outside.

As caretakers of our world, God calls us to share in the urgent challenge of healing its wounds. Since the 1980s, environmental issues have been of key concern in the Church’s work. In the face of the many threats to the environment, we call on Christian communities to embrace change and ecological responsibility in their daily life.

Three principles form the basis of our approach to the environment.

We are called

  • to express gratitude for God’s gifts.
  • to have respect for life and God’s creation.
  • to live moderately.

The Church’s environment diploma, which has now been awarded to more than 100 parishes, gives practical guidelines in putting more eco-friendly practices in place. It encourages the undertaking of a comprehensive evaluation of waste management and cleaning, the maintenance of camp centres, offices, cemeteries and forests, and of how awareness of environmental issues can be raised.

June 2008 saw the publication of the Church’s climate programme, a comprehensive and detailed policy document that sets forth our commitment to the environment, the most important issue modern humanity faces.

The Church’s climate strategy (summary in English): Carbon Neutral Church by 2030 (pdf)

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