Church leaders' joint declaration on environmental ethics

On 10 June 2002, in the framework of the Fourth Symposium on Ecology, Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople signed a common declaration towards the “conservation of Creation.” Both leaders connected the destruction of the environment with a moral component, citing a lack of solidarity and concern for future generations. Claiming that only through a return to Christian ideas could the ecological crisis be countered, the declaration emphasized the “ecological calling” of all Christians to adopt an ecologically sustainable way of life.