Ecumenical Patriarch reiterates dangers of ecological destruction

Ecumenical Patriarch reiterates dangers of ecological destruction

valter

Tue, 08/04/2026 - 08:40

In an address on 26 June, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew warned that a third world war—this one against nature—is being waged.

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His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch speaks at the Museum of the Princes' Islands, May 22, 2026

Photo: Nikos Papachristou

He offered the address upon receiving an honorary degree from the School of the Environment at Ionian University.

“ Undoubtedly, the natural environment is threatened in our time as never before in the past,” he said. “ The consequences of the ecological crisis know no borders of states and civilizations, and affect the conditions of survival not only of the human race, but also of life in general on the planet.”

He added that this was not a hypothetical situation, but an imminent threat. “ The climate crisis is not a ‘ future scenario, ’ but a painful reality, with the rapid decline of biodiversity, deforestation, pollution of the atmosphere and seas, catastrophic fires and floods,” he said. “ Despite the reactions and resistance to this threat,…