A message for the World Environment Day, which is honoured every year on June 5, was sent by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and all Greece.
Archbishop Ieronymos emphasizes that “every year on that day the environment is supposed to be celebrated. This expression reveals that there is still substantial ignorance or indifference to the environmental problem. Because, this is not a feast, but a day of reflection and consideration of the efforts made to protect nature.”
The Archbishop of Athens points out that even though everyone theoretically perceives the criticalness of the problem and many are taking initiatives, the problem nevertheless exists and is not corrected.
The world, Archbishop Ieronymos points out in his message, is not the result of accidental coincidences or of necessity, but is meant to be a springboard to salvation by the Creator. Man has, or at least must have, a regulatory role in the Creation, as he is the crown of all this. Often, however, he forgets his relationship with God and his position within the Creation, and he gets self-contained, driven to oppressive behaviours, both towards his fellowmen and the environment. “Therefore, the ecological problem is basically spiritual with enormous moral dimensions,” the Archbishop points out.
“Without freeing man from his egocentrism and his eudaemonism, the ecological problem, instead of being limited, will spread. That is why the basic challenge of today for everyone is repentance, our return to God-Creator and our redefinition within the perspective of the divine plan for the Creation and the environment,” he notes.