The Church of Ireland has adopted an Environmental Charter at its General Synod for use by all its parishes.
It is hoped that the charter, which is based on one adopted by the Diocese of Cashel & Ossory in 2008, will help churches understand their role in environmental stewardship.
The charter covers five areas: recognising and reducing waste, increasing environmental awareness, exercising leadership through environmental responsibility, identifying spiritually and practically with the developing world and influencing policy and the Church and State. You can see the full text of the charter here.
Speaking at General Synod, Eco-Congregation Ireland Chairperson the Ven Andrew Orr said he was delighted to see the production of broad outlines of what can be done to protect and support the environment. He said that the level of greenhouse gas in the world had gone over 400 million parts per million, a level unknown in human history. He said there were people and communities across the world who were threatened by this, and that the ones who had contributed least to environmental damage were suffering most as a result of it.
“It is vitally important that parishes and dioceses don’t leave this report to gather dust,” he said and highlighted the work of Eco-Congregation, which can help in this matter.
Trevor Sargent hoped the charter would galvanise people to shift to a better future and he urged all parishes to get behind Eco-Congregation.
In his opening address to General Synod, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland the Most Rev Dr Richard Clarke said: “all that we are and all that we do is not only to be consciously in the presence of God, but it is truly to be in relationship with God and thus with one another. And so, any Trinitarian faith that is not totally and lovingly relational, with God and with the wholeness of his creation, is both deformed and defective.
“Our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ would remind us constantly that the creation itself is a lens through which we are enabled to glimpse something of the beauty, power and love of God. When we then treat the creation merely as an object to which we have no need to relate responsibly, and when we abuse and misuse the environment which is integral to God’s creative plan, it is not merely greed and folly but also something close to sacrilege.”