Foreword to the Published Proceedings of the Fourth Summer Seminar at Halki

 Justice: Environment and Human

June 1997

For the Orthodox Church, the worldwide ecological crisis constitutes the expression of a more comprehensive crisis of the human race and concerns all of the critical issues faced by humanity. The crisis faced by creation cannot be examined exclusively from the perspective of the numerous and undoubtedly beneficial branches of Science and Technology. In order to secure long-term solutions and avoid repetition of errors of the past, we are obliged to study the ecological crisis too in light of the more general moral crisis.

One of the more fundamental problems, which constitute the basis of the ecological crisis, is the lack of justice prevailing in our world. By justice we mean not only the legal correspondence of giving and receiving, of transgressions and consequences, of offering and reward, but the more inclusive virtue that lies beyond the narrow fulfillment of obligation. The liturgical and patristic tradition of the Church considers as just, that person who is compassionate and freely grants, using love as one’s sole criterion. Justice extends even beyond one’s fellow human being to the entire creation. The burning of forests, the criminal exploitation of natural resources, the gap between the wealthy “north” and the needy “south,” all these constitute expressions of transgressing the virtue of justice.

With the ultimate goal of studying the ecological crisis comprehensively from the viewpoint of justice, the fourth annual Summer Ecological Seminar was held between June 25-30, 1997, in the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of the Holy Trinity at Halki, with the general title: “Environment and Justice.” It is clear from the proceedings that this seminar succeeded in an inter-disciplinary approach of the subject. Participants also included representatives of the Orthodox Church, of other Christian confessions, of other religions, governmental authorities, environmental, scientific and forensic experts, all of whom provided invaluable resources for those who are interested in just solutions to the ecological problem that challenges humanity today. May the grace of the Creator of all the creation, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.

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