Metropolitan of Austria: The ecological crisis Is above all a spiritual crisis

Metropolitan Arsenios (Kardamakis) of Austria stressed the spiritual dimension of the environmental crisis during the General Assembly of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria (ÖRKÖ), held in Vienna on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

The assembly, chaired by Armenian Bishop Tiran Petrosyan, took place at the premises of the New Apostolic Church in Vienna-Penzing and focused on climate protection, environmental initiatives and cooperation among Christian churches.

Opening the meeting with a spiritual reflection, Metropolitan Arsenios described the ecological crisis as primarily a spiritual crisis, calling for a fundamental change in humanity’s understanding of its relationship with nature.

He argued that the tendency to regard nature merely as a resource to be controlled, exploited and used for human purposes has contributed to the environmental challenges facing the world today.

The Metropolitan emphasized that addressing the crisis requires more than practical measures, pointing to the need to reconsider how human beings understand their place within creation.

Referring to the Charta Oecumenica, he highlighted the responsibility of Christians to recognize the value…