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It gives us great pleasure and an honour to announce that the accomplished Orthodox theologian Dr David Goodin, will join Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals as its Canadian representative. Dr. Goodin earned a PhD in Religious Studies from McGill University in the philosophy of religion, with a concentration in Patristic theology. Currently, he is a Professeur Associé at the Université Laval, Institut de Théologie Orthodoxe de Montréal. Research interests include theodicy and eco-theology with a specialization on the sacred forests of the Ethiopian Täwaḥədo tradition. He is the author of numerous academic books and articles, including Confronting Evil: Theodicy in the Eastern Patristic Tradition (Alexander Press, 2021). Originally from Miami, Florida, David K. Goodin now resides and teaches in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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10Kelly Wright, Melchiades A Lozano and 8 others

The Beginning of the Ecclesiastical New Year 2024

To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America,

My Beloved Children in the Lord,

Joyous feast and happy New Year!

Thou hast visited the earth and made it drunk; thou hast abundantly enriched it. The river of God is filled with waters; thou hast prepared their sustenance, for thus is the preparation thereof. 
                                        – Psalm 64:9

The world observes its civil New Year in the midst of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, in the cold and dark of early January. Indeed, according to the ancient Roman reckoning of time, that period of the year was so bleak that it was practically acalendrical: March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar, and December the tenth and last, with those gloomy days of deep winter, our January and February, lying outside of normal social time.

In the Church, on the other hand, we observe our New Year at the height of harvest, in the season of greatest abundance: “Spring is beautiful, but autumn is plentiful,” to paraphrase a rustic Russian saying. This is reflected in the psalmody that we sing on this feast: “Thou shalt bless the crown of the year with thy goodness, and thy fields shall be filled with fatness” (Ps. 64:11).

“The river of God” – “thy fields.” These sayings remind us that the natural world, with all its bounty and beauty, is the creation of God, and it belongs to him. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all that dwell therein” (Ps. 23:1). Man is placed in this world as its steward, not its ultimate master or owner, and the creation around us is given to us not as a right, but as a gift. Moreover, though we are given temporal dominion over our environment, the natural world, like all things that come from God, finds its truest meaning when it is offered back to God. We are called to be not just steward, but sacrificer, priest, taking what is given and offering it back to the Giver.

In this act of sacrifice—the sacrament, the mystery—we encounter and receive an even greater gift, the Giver himself. Creation, the superfluous work of God’s love, becomes the very means of encounter with God. In the greatest sacrament, the Eucharist, we offer up bread and wine—the bounty of God’s earth, the work of our hands in stewardship—and we receive back the Flesh and Blood of God himself.

Therefore, creation is holy, not because of some intrinsic quality, but because of its origin and its destiny: it comes from God and, when used properly, it is given back to God. Thus, as we celebrate the bounties of the natural world on this ecclesiastical New Year, properly ascribing thanks to God, we are also called to assess our stewardship over the natural world. We must ensure that we use all the good gifts of this world responsibly and moderately, not exploiting our stewardship or abusing our dominion.

I emphasize that this work of stewardship, though it has communal and social dimensions, is first and foremost the work of each human being, each Christian. Each of us is called to offer our environment, our work, our day-to-day, our spaces and places, our time, our very breath, back to God through virtue, generosity, thanksgiving, and prayer. We are, all of us and each of us, called to share our bounty, beautify our domain, and exercise prudent husbandry of the things entrusted to our care.

Thus, as we join in celebration of the New Year, reaping the harvest of the earth’s blessings, I pray that we always partake of nature’s extraordinary abundance with moderation and thanksgiving and generosity to others, properly exercising our role as priest and mediator—in and through Christ, the Great High Priest and true Mediator—offering up to God his own of his own, such that the very hills might be girded with joy and valleys cry aloud with the song of hymns (Ps 64:13).

To our great and everlasting God, who crowns the year with goodness and bounty, who by his power made the ages and yet rules forever, before and after and beyond all seasons and times, who is one in Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: to him be all glory, thanks, and adoration, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Wishing you all a blessed New Year and many blessed years to come,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+Tikhon
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

Article from Carbon Brief website by
Yanine Quiroz 05.09.2024 | 3:16pm

According to the study, published in Nature Climate Change, if consumers with higher dietary emissions reduced their red meat consumption in favour of more legumes and nuts, global food-system emissions would fall by 32%.

At the same time, improving the diets of “underconsuming” populations would result in a 15% increase in dietary emissions.

The researchers analysed the emissions from food products consumed by two kinds of populations – those who consume higher levels of animal-based products and those who have lower intakes of these foods – in more than 100 countries. Then, they modelled the changes in emissions resulting from a potential shift in the global diet.

The study also analyses how diets – and their emissions – vary by income group within individual countries. The findings suggest that inequalities in dietary emissions are “more pronounced” within low-income countries. 

The authors suggest that changing the food choices of consumers could not only contribute to mitigating climate change, but also to addressing inequality and food security. 

Dietary emissions

Food systems make up about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

These emissions vary greatly between different regions, but they also vary within a given country, due to a population’s food preferences, lifestyles and income. 

To find out how each population group contributes to dietary emissions, the researchers analysed emissions along the supply chain of 140 different food products, including emissions from agricultural land-use change.

Then, using a database of consumption patterns of different population groups – classified by household expenditure – they calculated the distribution of dietary emissions in 139 countries or areas. 

The authors found that in many regions and countries, total meat and dairy emissions exceed those from plant-based foods – even though meat and dairy typically account for less than one-quarter of calories consumed. 

This is not necessarily an indicator of wealth. Both high-income countries and regions, such as Australia and the US, and lower-income ones, such as India and the rest of east Asia, generate the majority of their food-related emissions from animal-based diets. 

However, in many other low-income countries and regions, including Indonesia, the rest of south-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, plant-based foods produce most dietary emissions. 

The map below shows the total national dietary greenhouse gas emissions (red shading) and the per-capita dietary emissions (yellow circles). 

The chart shows the regional breakdown of dietary emissions by food type, including grains (light purple), dairy products (light yellow) and beef, lamb and pork (light blue). The regions are organised by GDP, from high (left) to low (right).

These trends are partially explained by cultural factors. For example, in south-east Asia, 42% of dietary emissions come from grains, due to the predominance of rice-based dishes.

The affordability of varied food also plays a role, the authors say. For example, high prices of animal-based foods lead many lower-income countries and individuals to opt for starchy staple foods that are cheaper, but contain high levels of carbohydrates, as in south-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 

Diet and income

The researchers also examined the differences in dietary emissions within countries.

The following chart shows the breakdown of dietary emissions by food type (in the coloured bars). Each country or region is broken down into deciles based on wealth, with the lowest-income 10% of the population on the left and the highest-income 10% on the right.

In some countries, the consumption of red meat and dairy products is similar regardless of the population group. For example, in the chart above, consumption of beef, lamb and pork (light blue), dairy (light yellow) and poultry, eggs and fish (blue) in the US, Australia and Canada are at similar levels across all income groups.

However, in other countries, such as Russia, India, Brazil and the rest of Latin America, as individuals’ expenditure increases, per-capita consumption of red meat and dairy products tends to rise – along with their dietary greenhouse gas emissions, according to the chart. 

One exception is parts of east Asia, where the poorest population has high dietary emissions due to a substantial intake of red meat. For example, the research says, consumption of beef and mutton is common among lower-income populations in Mongolia.

Dr Andrêa Ferreira, a postdoctoral scholar at Drexel University and a senior researcher at the Iyaleta Research Association, an independent research collective in Brazil, says that the researchers made an “amazing” effort in attempting to collect standardised global data on food consumption and expenditure.

However, Ferreira cautions that the data might not consider the many aspects influencing how people and nations choose and use certain foods, including gender inequalities and cultural practices.

A more equitable diet

Although previous studies have addressed emissions from food consumption, the novelty of this research, the authors say, is that it breaks down these emissions by expenditure groups. Furthermore, the study models how a global diet shift could reduce inequities between these groups. 

For comparison, the researchers chose the EAT-Lancet “global planetary health diet”, a model diet designed to be “healthy for both people and planet”. The EAT-Lancet diet suggests increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes, and reducing meat and dairy intake. For example, the diet suggests consuming no more than 98 grams of red meat (pork, beef or lamb), 203 grams of poultry and 196 grams of fish per week. 

Yanxian Li, the lead author of the study, says her research team chose that diet because it provides detailed intake numbers for different food products and it has been widely used in research, allowing them to compare their results with previous studies. Furthermore, the EAT-Lancet diet is flexible and can take into account different local customs and cultural practices. 

Li, who is a PhD researcher at Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society (IREES) at University of Groningen in the Netherlands, tells Carbon Brief:

“We have to realise that different [countries] have different diet structures. For example, some Muslim countries don’t eat pork. We [wanted] to find an option which can [be] compatible with local diets”.

Li and her colleagues found that if the entire world adopted the EAT-Lancet diet, the global dietary emissions would drop by 17%, compared to 2019 levels. 

High-income groups in mid- and high-income countries would cut 32.4% of global dietary emissions by reducing their intake of meat and dairy products. However, this reduction would be partially offset by an increase of 15.4% in emissions of poorer populations that would result from them achieving a balanced, nutritious diet, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

To achieve such a global dietary change, the study suggests policymakers set up a wide range of incentives, from carbon pricing and “eco-labelling” to policies to lower the cost of and widen access to healthier foods for low-income populations. 

Prof Klaus Hubacek, chair of IREES, a professor at University of Groningen and study co-author, says individuals can also make a difference by choosing less carbon-intensive, locally produced and seasonal food items.

The research also indicates that with the diet shift, emissions footprints from legumes and nuts would increase, due to a wider consumption of those foods from most population groups.

However, that does not mean people have to eat one or two specific products throughout their lives – more diverse diets are better for our health, Li says. She tells Carbon Brief:

“It’s important to ensure that [vulnerable groups] still have enough nutrition from animal-based products…There’s still some room for the rich people to save some good resources for the poor ones”. 

Ferreira says this flexibility is more realistic than asking everybody to become vegetarian or vegan, which “doesn’t take into account that food is about culture”.

She suggests having a diverse diet and improving access to nutritionists and nutritional education, telling Carbon Brief:

“I see food as a right, so I work with the perspective that each of us should be allowed to choose the best practice to eat…For me, it’s [about] how we move forward to a balanced diet, and we assure the right of food diversity all over the world.”

† BARTHOLOMEW 
 By the Mercy of God 
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarchate 
 To the Plenitude of the Church
Grace and Peace from the Creator, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Most reverend brother Hierarchs and beloved children in the Lord,

    Thirty-five whole years have lapsed since the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate established September 1st, the Feast of the Indiction and opening of the ecclesiastical year, as a Day of Prayers for the Protection of the Natural Environment. This blessed initiative had a great resonance and borne bountiful fruit. The multidimensional ecological activities of the Holy Great Church of Christ today center around the phenomenon of climate change — or rather, the climate crisis — which has caused a “planetary state of emergency.”

    We appreciate the contribution of the environmental movements, the international agreements for the environment, the related engagement on the part of scientists with this problem, the contribution of environmental education, the ecological sensitivity and mobilization of countless people and especially representatives of the younger generation. However, we insist that what is needed is an axiological “Copernican turn,” a radical change of mentality globally, a substantial revision of the relationship between humankind and nature. Otherwise, we will continue to treat the catastrophic consequences of the ecological crisis, while leaving intact and active the roots of the problem.

    The environmental threat is a dimension of the extended crisis in contemporary civilization. In this sense, confronting the problem cannot be successful on the basis of the principles of the same civilization, of the rationale behind it, which created it in the first place. We have repeatedly expressed our conviction that churches and religions can contribute significantly to a vital spiritual and evaluative conversion for the sake of the future of humanity and the planet. Genuine religious faith dissolves the arrogance and titanism of humankind, inasmuch as it constitutes the embankment of its transformation into a “man-god,” who abolishes all standards, boundaries, and values, while declaring himself “the measure of all things” and instrumentalizing both his fellow human beings and nature for the satisfaction of his unquenchable needs and arbitrary pursuits.

    The centuries-long experience teaches us that, without an “Archimedean” spiritual and evaluative support, humanity cannot avoid the risks of a nihilistic “anthropologism.” This is the legacy of the classical spirit, as articulated by Plato through the principle that “God is the measure of all things for us” (Laws 716c). This understanding of humanity and its responsibility through its relationship with God is expressed through the Christian teaching about the creation of Adam “in the image of God” and “according to His likeness,” as well as about the assumption of human nature by the incarnate pre-eternal Word of God for our salvation and the renewal of all creation. The Christian faith recognizes the supreme value of humanity and creation alike. In this spirit, then, respect for the sacredness of the human person and the protection of the integrity of the “very good” creation are inseparable. Faith in the God of wisdom and love inspires and supports the creative forces of humankind, strengthening it in the face of challenges and trials, even when overcoming these appears humanly impossible.

    We have struggled and still strive for an inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian collaboration for the protection of humanity and creation, as well as for the introduction of this subject in interfaith dialogue and common actions of religions. Moreover, we particularly emphasize the need to understand that the contemporary ecological crisis impacts first and foremost the poorer inhabitants on earth. In the document of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, entitled “For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church,” this topic is underlined emphatically along with the essential concern of the Church in light of the consequences of climate change: “We must understand that serving our neighbor and preserving the natural environment are intimately and inseparably connected.  There is a close and indissoluble bond between our care of creation and our service to the body of Christ, just as there is between the economic conditions of the poor and the ecological conditions of the planet. Scientists tell us that those most egregiously harmed by the current ecological crisis will continue to be those who have the least.  This means that the issue of climate change is also an issue of social welfare and social justice.” (Paragraph 76)

    In conclusion, we wish you, most honorable brothers and most beloved children, a new ecclesiastical year full of divine blessings and productivity, invoking upon you all, through the intercession of Panagia Pammakaristos, whose wondrous and miraculous icon we honor and celebrate on this day and humbly venerate, the life-giving grace and boundless mercy of the Creator of all and God of wondrous things.  

        September 1, 2024

        † Bartholomew of Constantinople
        Fervent supplicant for all before God

We have great pleasure in announcing that His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis of Zimbabwe and Angola has honored us by becoming one of our Patrons. His biography is below. You will see the His Eminence teaches love and compassion for all of God’s creatures and we are blessed to have him with us all.

His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Zimbabwe and Angola

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis of Zimbabwe is the Archbishop of Zimbabwe and Angola and Exarch of Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Angola), part of the Church of Alexandria. Prior to his assignment to Zimbabwe  and Angola, Archbishop Seraphim was Archbishop of Johannesburg and Archbishop of Kenya.

His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis was born on February 2, 1961 in Galataria, Paphos. George knew that he wanted to serve God at an early age so, at the age of twelve years, he was accepted as a novice, with the name Seraphim, at the Monastery of Kykkos on the island of Cyprus (hence the surname Kykkotis). Besides from working with agriculture at the monastery, the young Seraphim was a very good student, first attending the Pan-Cypriot High School and then the Lyceum of Kykkos from which he graduated with honors in 1982.

On September 8, 1983, Seraphim was ordained a hierodeacon by Archbishop Chrysostomos of Nea Justiniana (1977–2006). He was then transferred from the Church of Cyprus to the Church of Greece under Archbishop Seraphim of Athens (1974–2004) in order to continue his education at the Theological School of the University of Athens, from which he graduated in 1987. During the period he attended the theological faculty, Hierodeacon Seraphim also served in Athens. Upon return to Kykkos in Cyprus, he served as Director of the Library of his Monastery.

From 1988 to 1991, Hierodeacon Seraphim continued his education in Great Britain, studying English and Patristics at Christ Church college in Canterbury and at the Universities of Oxford and Durham under His Eminence Kallistos (Ware)  then Bishop of Dioclea (1982–2007), Professor of Orthodox Theology at Oxford and Very Rev. Dr. George Dragas.

Metropolitan Serafim as ecologist he stresses that everything one has received from God must be given back, without corruption. For him, hunger and poverty in Africa are a result of our sins and selfishness. He emphasizes the important of ecological metanoia (repentance) from our ecological sins, by starting a new green way of life without polluting the creation of God. “Because Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are everywhere present and fill all things, this gives us a holy vision in which we recognize that the life of God exists in all things, everywhere in the world. We must have respect for all things in the creation and treat every living thing, every person, every animal, every bird, every tree and every leaf with love, care and respect. As Orthodox Christians we inspire others by living our Christian faith. This is also our most powerful way of teaching. The scriptures tell us many things about the right operation of the earth. As Orthodox Christians we must strive to fulfill all of the Biblical teachings. Today we realize that the best ecologists are the saints. They often tame wild animals, bring healing to people and the earth, and teach a gentle, kind and loving way toward all things.”

Ηe was elected Metropolitan of Kenya and Tanzania in 1997. In these countries today there are three Metropolis and five Bishoprics. He served also as the Dean of the Seminary of Nairobi “Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus”. Later he was elected Metropolitan of Johannesburg and Pretoria-Tsuane (2001 -2010). Since 2010, he serves as Metropolitan of Zimbabwe and Angola. He is a Member of the Patriarchal Commission on Environment and Sustainable Development, he represents the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and His Holiness Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II at the International Organizations, UN, AU and to WCC and All African Conference of Churches as well as at the official International Theological Dialogue of Orthodox and Anglicans. He is also member of the Central com. of the WCC and member of the new commission on Climate justice and sustainable Development of WCC

His Eminence observes his name day on January 2 in memory of Saint Seraphim of Sarov.

Climate change is already a harsh reality with global dimensions

July 8, 2024

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew emphasized the necessity for unified
global efforts “regardless of geopolitical interests and other considerations” in a
video message screened last night at the Nisyros Dialogues. The event was
organized by the Georgios M. Mihalos Foundation and held under the auspices of
the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and the Patriarch
himself.
Climate change is already a harsh reality with global dimensions and
implications, not a future scenario, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized,
highlighting the urgent need for immediate action.

Bartholomew stated that while taking small steps is important, it is
insufficient to address what may be the greatest threat to life on our planet.
He emphasized the urgency of effectively tackling the root causes of the crisis, not
just its effects. A transition from a focus on having to a focus on being is required
The Ecumenical Patriarch highlighted the spiritual and moral roots of the
ecological crisis and social problems. He noted that a significant aspect of this crisis
is that “humans, although aware of the consequences of their choices, continue to act
as if they did not know.” He stressed that “in the face of the ecological crisis,
humans mistakenly hope that nature will somehow overcome the ongoing
human-caused destruction and regenerate itself on its own.”
After acknowledging the presence of healthy reactions and promising
developments, including notable civil society initiatives, dynamic ecological
movements, scientific breakthroughs, political decisions made for the common
good, efforts to respect human dignity and the integrity of creation, and
advancements in environmental education, he highlighted the necessary changes that
must be made.
Beyond all this, the Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that “a radical shift in
mindset and a fundamental reversal are required—a transition from a focus on
having to a focus on being, to an eco-friendly culture and to a culture of
solidarity.” The Ecumenical Patriarch stressed that spiritual forces, such as the major
religions, can and should contribute to these changes by harnessing their ecological,
social, and peace-building potential.

This article is an extract from The Orthodox TIMES
https://orthodoxtimes.com/ecumenical-patriarch-climate-change-is-already-a-harsh-reality-with-global-dimensions/

ABSTRACT

All responsible and reputable scientists agree that we are not reducing harmful GHG emissions fast enough to prevent devastating climate-induced catastrophes, such as extreme droughts, floods, and unstable climates. With this backdrop it is no wonder that we also hear of increasing anxiety, especially amongst the young, who feel hopeless in the face of the predicted catastrophe. Yet there is one highly empowering step that can result in a quick and consistent fall in harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The question to ask is, are individuals capable or smart enough to transition from the most harmful individual practice – the consumption of the meat/dairy diet – for the greater good?

INTRODUCTION

CONTEXT

Let me place this discussion in real-time context. Sicily is experiencing a severe drought due to a lack of winter rains, which has forced dozens of towns to ration water for both agriculture and residential consumption, with the risk to agriculture in Sicily being considered a “particular concern” by the EU’s crop monitoring service. Meanwhile, in the Po valley in northern Italy, rice farmers are still dealing with the impacts of a persistent drought that began in 2022 and devastated 7,500 hectares of rice fields last year alone. The Po Valley accounts for about 50% of the rice produced in the EU. These farmers have sought to diversify their crops in response to climate change because there simply isn’t enough water for their crop to be viable. The misuse of our water is an important point to remember in my discussion on climate and food insecurity.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF ANIMALS IN SOCIETY

In my book on Eastern Orthodoxy and Animal Suffering[1] I noted that the contemporary debate on the environment^[2] highlights how historical theological and philosophical anthropocentricism with its inherent separationist ethos, denied animals the capacity for language, rationality and self-awareness. This resulted in the refusal to extend justice, mercy, personhood and any form of rights to animals, which in turn, determined our relationships and treatment of them. Over time it became increasingly easy to view animals as disposable life and units of production, rather than sentient beings and creatures loved by God. This exploitation and abuse have reached epic proportions since the second world war, as most animals are now produced in the intensive farming system, which as numerous research papers have proven, produces distortions of the animal’s true physiology, and leads to immense physical and psychological suffering because of mutilations, deprivation, and downright cruelty.  Natural behaviours and flourishing were and still are, overridden in favour of increased financial profit and cheap food.

More recently, Ethology has challenged the flawed philosophical and theological views that these abilities were unique to human beings. Informed opinion, which includes senior Orthodox theologians and philosophers such as Zizioulas and Ware, now accept that any differences are a matter of degree rather than absence. In addition, there is overwhelming scientific evidence that increasing numbers of species are sentient beings, who suffer physical pain, psychological distress, and are capable of joy and self-awareness. Legally, animals are still categorized as property although this is now being challenged in courts across the world.

The combination of these historical factors and mindset has led to the immense suffering of God’s non-human creation and resulted in far-reaching consequences for humans and the wider environment, such as water contamination, misuse and overuse, soil degradation and loss, and numerous environmental disasters. Increasingly, scientists in many disciplines recognize that our misuse and exploitation of animals is an important factor in GHG emissions, food and water insecurity, and climate instability. So why does this continue?

FAKE NEWS – DISINFORMATION AND MISDIRECTION

Much of the debate on climate change/instability has centered around the use of fossil fuels for energy, and the waste products of Carbon Dioxide and Methane. The world, in the form of COP treaties, agree on the urgent need for rapid reductions in GHG emissions by transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable/green forms of energy. Like most of us, I cannot build, nor afford to buy solar panels, build a wind-turbine or nuclear power station, or create other green-energy technologies. We rely on the energy companies, and our governments, to do this on our behalf. Some governments, including my own, are helping individuals by placing caps on the cost of energy, and the energy companies in turn are recompensed by the governments. Yet the revenue for this compensation comes from citizens’ taxes, so we end up paying the energy companies in one way or another. Unfortunately for us and other life-forms on this planet, this deeply flawed process has not, and will not, motivate the energy companies to transition to cleaner energy technologies, or to do so more quickly than is currently the case. As a result, harmful greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

The equally harmful animal-based diet, however, has received far less attention until quite recently. Nonetheless, both issues have hit the same problem of the vested interests, who use the Tobacco industry’s effective disinformation and misdirection campaign methods, to perpetuate their lucrative yet very harmful businesses. Their refusal to make significant changes to our energy or food systems, brings these problems back to individuals to make changes in their lifestyles and eating habits to mitigate the looming disaster of the predicted Hot-House Earth scenario, the now 2.4 degrees rise in global temperature posited last week, climate instability and food insecurity.

The acceptance of this situation indicates that our governments are more concerned with short-term thinking that prioritises their re-election and short-term biased fiscal systems that favour the few, rather than in reorientating our economies and food production systems to save the lives of their citizens, and the myriad of other species on this planet. Increasingly more people recognise this fact, and various forms of climate anxiety are increasing.

CLIMATE ANXIETY

In their excellent chapter in one of my two books on Climate Crisis and Creation Care[3], Van Susteren and Al-Delany discuss the psychological impacts of climate change. They inform us that all the losses associated with climate change carry with them an emotional toll. They outline the psychological, physiological, and psychosocial impacts of extreme weather events under specific headings such as, wildfires, violent storms and floods, summer heatwaves and drought, sea level rise, new disease threats, air pollution, vulnerable populations, and the processing of disasters. They clearly state that the medical profession is not ready for what is to come, and I suggest that we can make the same charge against our governments, and civil society in general. They also draw our attention to increased violence, much of which can be explained by unaddressed anxiety emanating from fears of impotence and vulnerability.

They explain that denial and inaction on climate-related issues is an attempt to try to control such fears, which only exacerbates the situation. What is needed, they state, is activism and now.

ACTIVISM

In his chapter in the same book on Creation Care, Miller discusses the social role of religions in the climate emergency and advocates the ‘see-judge-act’ model of Catholic social action. He states that ‘all institutions, including religious communities on the local, national, and international level must be open to thinking and acting in unprecedented ways.’ In his section ‘Living in Denial, Living a Lie,’ he offers studies that buttress the science of Van Susteren and Al-Dilany mentioned earlier, when discussing the double reality that arises from the avoidance of discussing ‘truths’ which make others feel ‘guilty, fearful and helpless.’ He argues that in so doing, we are essentially supporting the very systems that perpetuate the evils against God’s creation.

These past few years have seen the rise of student activism and groups like Extinction and Animal Rebellion and XR Elders. Many, including Miller, advocate non-violent direct action by religious groups. However, in response to this type of direct action, the British government at least, are looking at ways to limit legitimate protests, with the dangers to our freedom and liberty becoming increasingly obvious. It is not difficult to predict the banning of these types of protests as various elements of society take to the streets, just as they were doing pre Covid, demanding greater and faster action on climate instability. Such confrontations will be manipulated by malign forces/governments, with the almost inevitable outcome of increased levels of violence.

The question to ask here is what changes are available to us and once identified, will we be willing to make the necessary changes?  Last week a study from Ireland identified that whilst most citizens were concerned about climate change, they did not want to give up their cars, and saw no connection between climate change and their dietary choices. Yet there is a wealth of scientific evidence from numerous disciplines that indicate that by reducing or eliminating meat and dairy from their diets, individuals can produce meaningful reductions in GHG emissions and increase water and food security, without any confrontation or violence. The question remains as to whether we are smart enough to do so.

DIETARY CHOICES

Essentially at this stage in the climate crisis, we have a numbers and efficiency issue. Despite numerous scientific and UN reports consistently informing us that a significant reduction in animal numbers, as a direct result in the reduction of meat/dairy consumption, is a highly effective way of tackling climate change, water depletion and environmental destruction, animal numbers continue to rise. Hundreds of millions of animals are raised, processed, and transported around the globe each year. Such numbers require huge amounts of land for food, most of the world’s water, and vast amounts of energy to produce, process, and transport them.

In efficiency terms, the use of grain and other human-edible food for non-human animal food, reduces the global food balance as livestock inefficiently convert grain into meat and milk. According to the FAO, they convert the carbohydrates and protein contained in grain into a smaller quantity of energy and protein than humans could have gained by directly consuming the grain. These figures are not insignificant and you would not run your family finances in this way. For example, for every 100 calories of human-edible cereals fed to animals, only 17-30 calories i.e., less than one third of the original potential energy, enter the human food chain, and for every 100 grams of grain protein fed to animals, just 43 grams – less than half, enter the human food chain as meat or milk. Similarly, 70 per cent of the wild fish used in animal feeds could instead be eaten directly by humans. The evidence is clear – the less animals we eat, the quicker we will reduce GHG emissions, the overuse of water, the destruction of our forests for grazing land and the depletion of the soil.

The alternative vegetarian/vegan diets are the opposite in all regards. They are economically viable and physically and psychologically beneficial, for they will also reduce our level of anxiety, as they facilitate some form of control and achievable goal at reducing climate instability. They are also entirely possible to follow without violence, conflict, or danger. This will however require an element of sacrifice for an unspecified period and herein lies its flaw.

If we look across the globe at the wars and the suffering that exists, we see a high level of avoidance strategies and tokenism by the richer countries and large corporations, but not only them, by us also. We refuse to make significant changes to adequately deal with the plight of the suffering poor, the suffering animals, and the suffering environment. This is not a surprise for we humans are not generally known for our altruism, but for our arrogance and greed. Norman Russel’s work on early Monasticism found that gluttony was a constant problem and remains so in wider society until today.

The fact that many ascetics were and are vegan/vegetarian ought to remind us of God’s original dietary choice and thus the most appropriate dietary path to follow. It is important to remember that whilst God gave us the dispensation to eat meat, it was just that. He does not command or force us to do so; we retain the freedom to follow God’s original dietary choice for us. It is also important to remember that whilst we may not be killing or rearing the animals in inhumane ways, by our choice/demand for cheap animal-based food products, we are part of the reason why such practices and processes exist and continue.

For those who can do so, and in the richer nations this is most of us, this simple, single action would result in saving the lives of billions of people, other species, ecosystems and resources like water and productive soil. One would like to think that if we were as smart or rational as Aristotle and his ilk would have us believe, we would eagerly grasp this nonviolent, achievable, and effective opportunity but I am not convinced that we will.

A NEW VISION IS THEREFORE NEEDED = EXTENDING JUSTICE, COMPASSION, LOVE

Faith groups can provide an alternative voice and vision for the future where the entire world is viewed as interconnected, delicately balanced, and sacred. They can offer a practical holistic approach, which includes spiritual and ethical guidance on the link between climate change, a flourishing creation, and socially responsible goals for a more balanced and just world. A vision that replaces the existing damaging energy and food production models with an integrated, regenerative, and distributive system that focuses on the intrinsic value and well-being of all created beings working in harmony and balance, and importantly, one that works for all and at ground level. The question of whether we will do so however remains. To end this lecture, I turn directly to each of you. Have you been convinced by my arguments? I suggest to you that if you are not, it is unlikely that enough people will make the necessary dietary transition to combat climate instability and social breakdown in the time left available to us, and the consequences of that is becoming increasingly obvious to all who have ears to hear and eyes to see.

---

[1] Eastern Orthodox Theology and Animal Suffering: Ancient Voices in Modern Theology. (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2018)

https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-1602-1

^[2] Arguably, the contemporary non-Orthodox debate on the Church’s responsibility for the environmental crisis began with White’s article in 1967 “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.”

[3] Climate Crisis and Creation Care: Historical Perspectives, Ecological Integrity and Justice

https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-7420-5

Climate Crisis and Sustainable Creaturely Care: Integrated Theology, Governance and Justice https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-7421-2

29 February 2024
The Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

And By Email: defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk and stephen.barclay.mp@parliament.uk
cc: Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
contactholmember@parliament.uk

Dear Secretary of State
OPEN LETTER – The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 – Activity Regulations
Following our letter of 2 February, the undersigned 102 organisations and individuals wish to further express our concern regarding the apparent lack of progress by your Department in developing and consulting on the Activity Regulations that are necessary in order to give effect to the will of Parliament expressed by the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.
The Act passed into law by Royal Assent on 18 September 2023, more than 5 months ago. At the time, the then Animal Welfare Minister Lord Benyon was quoted as saying:
“The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act is an important step in our commitment to
ensure high animal welfare standards both here in this country and abroad, and I encourage
holidaymakers to do their research so they can make informed choices that do not encourage
poor animal welfare practices.”
Angela Richardson MP, who tabled the original Bill which became the Act, further stated:
“This legislation is a world first and will work towards greater protection of vulnerable animals
in low welfare settings from being exploited as tourist experiences.”
The Bill proceeded through both Houses with cross-party support, without amendment or division at any stage. However, this is an enabling Act, and as such can have no meaningful impact until appropriate Regulations have been passed specifying the activities the advertising and sale of which will be prohibited. Until such Regulations are in place the implementation of the will of Parliament, which so comprehensively approved this landmark legislation without division or amendment throughout its passage, is undermined.
We cannot believe that is the Government’s intention. Yet, our efforts over the past several months to seek information on the government’s plans and timetable for the introduction of Activity Regulations have thus far been deflected, most recently in discussions with your officials on 15 February 2024. Given the current electoral timetable, and the time required to conduct meaningful stakeholder consultation on the Regulations and secure approval of both Houses of Parliament, the opportunity to ensure the Regulations are in place before the General Election is fast receding.
The signatories to this letter have been standing ready to help you progress matters. We have already provided your officials with a list of suggested proscribed activities for consideration, for which we can provide abundant and compelling evidence assembled from numerous specialist and expert sources.
We urge you to establish and communicate, without delay, a clear mechanism and timetable for the development and adoption of Activity Regulations, incorporating appropriate stakeholder
consultation, with a view to ensuring that the Regulations will be in place before the end of the current Parliamentary session. The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act commands overwhelming public and cross-party support. Effective implementation of these world-leading measures will demonstrate the standing of the UK as a leading voice for animal protection on the international stage and provide an opportunity for nations globally to adopt similar measures for the protection both of vulnerable species and of humans, preventing thousands more people from being catastrophically injured and killed while engaging in unethical and dangerous tourism activities.
We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely
Save The Asian Elephants
Action for Elephants UK

Signatories
Karl Ammann – conservationist, wildlife photographer, author and film producer, TIME Magazine Hero of the Environment
Animal Ahimsa
Animal Aid
Animal Defenders International
Animal Interfaith Alliance
Animal Protection Agency
Animals Asia
John Arnold, Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford
Lord Black of Brentwood FRSA
Bob Blackman CBE MP
Blue Cross of India
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary, Thailand
Born Free
Deidre Brock MP
Catholic Concern for Animals
Cheetah Conservation Fund UK
Christian Vegetarian Association
Christian Vegetarians and Vegans UK
Professor David Clough – Professor in Theology and Applied Sciences, University of Aberdeen
Compassion in World Farming
Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA)
Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation
Helen Costigan – sister of Andrea Taylor (victim of fatal attack by brutalised tourism elephant)
David Cowdrey FRGS – conservationist
Tracey Crouch CBE MP
Giles Crown – lawyer and ambassador for STAE
Crustacean Compassion
Professor Cathy Dwyer – Director of Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education
at Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh
Peter Egan – actor and animal welfare campaigner
Egypt Equine Aid
Ethix Digital
Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, Bt. – polar explorer and conservationist
FOAL Group
Baroness Foster of Oxton DBE
Four Paws UK
Freedom For Animals
The Gandhi Foundation
Dr Marion Garnett – CEO of Thinking of Animals CIC, organiser of Ealing Animals Fair
Ricky Gervais – comedian, actor, writer, director
Patricia Gibson MP
Lord (Zac) Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Wera Hobhouse MP
Humane Society International UK
Indian Vegetarian Society
Institute of Promotional Marketing
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Stanley Johnson – conservationist and author
Satish Kumar – Indian British former Jain monk, peace pilgrim, founder of Resurgence Trust
League Against Cruel Sports
Professor Phyllis Lee – Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling
Rula Lenska – actress and campaigner
Caroline Lucas MP
Dame Joanna Lumley DBE FRGS – actress, TV presenter and producer, activist
Evanna Lynch – film, TV and stage actress (Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter series), animal welfare and vegan activist
Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton
Clara Mancini – Professor of Animal-Computer Interaction, The Open University
Sunita Mansigani – animal welfare activist
Megan McCubbin – zoologist, conservationist and TV presenter
Stuart McDonald MP
John McNally MP
John Nicolson MP
Wendy Morgan – actress
Naturewatch Foundation
Dr Christina Nellist PhD – theologian, former Visiting Research Fellow at Winchester University
OneKind
Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals
Partido Animalista (PACMA)
Andrew Penman – journalist
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Protect All Wildlife
Quaker Concern for Animals
Ian Redmond OBE – wildlife biologist, Head of Conservation – Ecoflix and Ambassador for UN’s
Convention on Migratory Species
Andrew Rosindell MP
Carol Royle – actress and animal activist
Dr Richard D Ryder – conservationist, author, animal rights advocate, past Chairman of RSPCA
SARX – Christian Animal Advocacy Charity
Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park (Thailand) – founded by Lek Saengduean Chailert, Woman Hero of Global Conservation, holder of Legion d’Honneur of France
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Jenny Seagrove – actress and owner of the Mane Chance Sanctuary
Virendra Sharma MP
Shellfish Network
Alex Sobel MP
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (world’s largest Sikh Gurdwara organisation outside India)
Peter Stevenson OBE – lawyer and animal welfare campaigner
Linda, Countess of Stockton
Touchpoint Group
Professor the Lord Trees FRCVS, FMedSci, HonFRSE
UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW)
Dr Madhulal Valliyatte – Asian elephant specialist, conservationist and veterinary consultant
Viva!
Rick Wakeman CBE – musician, composer, activist
Dr Clifford Warwick PGDip(MedSci) PhD CBiol CSci EurProBiol FRSB – biologist and medical scientist
Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Ann Widdecombe DSG – politician, author, TV personality
Wild Animal Welfare Committee
Wild Futures
Wild Welfare
Jay and Katja Wilde – UK’s leading organic vegan farmers, stars of “73 Cows”
World Animal Justice
World Animal Protection
Correspondence to: DuncanMcNair@stae.org

Webinar on March 2 organized by Together4Europe

With the participation of Dr. Nikolaos Asproulis, deputy director of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies and Chair of POCA. Dr. Asproulis will deliver a talk on the ontological interdepedence among all creatures of God and the need for Christian theology to reconsider the content of the imago Dei doctrine so as to include non-human creatures too.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN UNTIL FEB 27 here: Together for Europe Workshop Ecology  02.03.2024       9.30 – 12.30 / 15.00 – 18.00 (office.com)

It gives us great pleasure to announce that the accomplished Orthodox theologian and philosopher, Nikolaos Asproulis will join Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals as its new Chair. Dr Christina Nellist will remain President and relinquish the Chair, to become its new Treasurer, following the death earlier this year of Father Simon Nellist.

Our Charity began in 2017 not only with the blessing of the then Archbishop Gregorios, but with the blessing, involvement, and patronage of Met. Kallistos of Diokleia. We have achieved a great deal since then – see our 2023 and 2022 reviews on our website panorthodoxconcernforanimals.org, and with this new appointment, we believe the Charity will go from strength to strength. Met. Isaias of Tamasou and Orinis in Cyprus remains our Patron, and Fr John Chryssavgis and Archimandrite Jack Khalil remain our theological advisors.
To give you a brief background, Nikolaos Asproulis is currently Deputy Director (2017- today) of
the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Volos, Greece, and Lecturer at the Hellenic Open
University, Patras, Greece. He graduated in Theology (University of Athens, 1997). He
obtained MTh (2007) and PhD degrees (2016) in Theology at Hellenic Open University.
Asproulis’ research focuses on the history and development of contemporary Orthodox
theology (20st – 21st century), a field in which he approached several research avenues:
systematic theology, ecclesiology, political theology, spirituality, hermeneutics, and animal
theology. During his doctoral research, he specialized in the study of contemporary Orthodox
theology with a special focus on the neo-patristic movement and its main figures (Florovsky
and Zizioulas). His dissertation was entitled “Creation, History and Eschaton in Contemporary
Orthodox Theological Hermeneutics: From Georges Florovsky to John D. Zizioulas.”
He published articles in peer-reviewed journals like the Review of Ecumenical Studies,
Communio Viatorum, Participatio, et. al., while he serves as reviewer in journals like Critical
Research on Religion (Sage), Open Theology (De Gruyter) and Review of Ecumenical Studies
(De Gruyter).
Asproulis was an academic associate of the official scholarly theological journal of the
Orthodox Church of Greece, Theologia (2009-2016). He is currently an official representative
of the Church of Greece in CEC thematic group on Economic and Ecological Justice (2017-8,
2019-2023), Coordinator of the Network of Ecumenical Learning in Eastern and Central Europe
(Nelcee – http://www.nelcee.org/); WP5 Volos Academy Team member of RESILIENCE
(https://www.resilience-ri.eu/) ; and project manager of the Ecotheological project and
activities of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies
(https://churchgoesgreen.acadimia.org). Furthermore, he is competent in Greek (native),
English (excellent), French (reading, understanding). Despite the demanding work to organize more than 15 international conferences at Volos Academy between 2009 till today, Nikolaos has not ceased publishing since the start of his doctoral trajectory with the resulting list of numerous contributions to international journals and book chapters. Nikolasos has published over 73 articles, written 5 books, edited, or coedited 15 books and translated 7 books. He is expected to publish in 2025, a first systematic contribution to Animal Studies from an Orthodox perspective under the title: Eastern Orthodox Christian Animal Theology: God, Animals and Creation in Dialogue (Lexington Books, forthcoming 2025).
We are sure you will agree that this is an excellent appointment and join us in congratulating
him on his appointment.

Our ‘Review’ of last year’s work was so well received that we thought we would do another for this year.

Throughout the year we continued to work on highlighting various Animal Protection issues on our Facebook and Twitter group/pages – (6) Facebook ; (2) Dr. Christina Nellist, B.ED, P.HD, FOCAE, (@orthodoxanimals) / X (twitter.com);   Facebook . Please do look at them as we often put live petitions from various groups on specific issues, such as the ongoing work to prevent the Importation of Hunting Trophies, Saving the Asian Elephant, or the work to replace the discredited animal testing model with alternatives that are available for ‘Big Pharma’ to use.

We also put articles/papers related to animals on our website see panorthodoxconcernforanimals.org.

January

Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals organised a special session on Creation Care Christian Responsibility at the 2^nd International Orthodox Theological Association in Volos, Greece. This consisted of Fr Bassam Nassif as Chair; Dr Christina Nellist who spoke on ‘Creation Care: Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia’s Teachings on Orthodoxy, Animals and Nature’; Fr Simon Nellist who spoke on ‘The Mission Fields of Compassionate Activism’;

Dr David K Goodin who spoke on: ‘“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”: John Chrysostom and the Anaphora of Creation in the Hallelujah Psalms’; Dr Nikolaos Asproulis (absent for photo) who spoke on ‘Animals, animality and the human being: An Addendum (or correction?) to Christian Anthropology’;  Fr. Filotheos-Fotios Maroudas  who spoke on ‘The Dominion as a Fraternal Responsibility to Animals rather than a Supremacy’; Ms Elizabeth Rotoff,  who spoke on ‘An Eastern Orthodox Perspective On A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet’ and George Nassos who spoke on ‘Moving Towards the Image of God: The Urgent Need for Parish Engagement in Responsible Creation Care’. The session was well attended by both clergy and laity from around the world. We thank our panel members for their presentations.

We were delighted to hear from Fr Antony Vrame at SVS that Animal Blessing Services are increasingly common in Orthodox Parishes across America. Hopefully, the UK and other regions will soon catch them up!

Fr. Simon and Dr. Christina attended the presenting of a one million plus signed petition, organised by the Save The Asian Elephant group https://stae.org/  to our Prime Minister asking for support for: a) Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end Pajan and ensure the proper treatment of captive elephants. These magnificent creatures should either be released into the forests or kept in genuine sanctuaries.

b) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Former Prime Minister David Cameron to urgently fulfil their Government’s Manifesto commitment to “support the Indian Government in its efforts to protect the Asian elephant.”

c) The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) to press its members including Virgin Holidays, to remove elephant attractions from their itinerary in India and the rest of Asia. Only visits to genuine sanctuaries and wildlife reserves where tourists observe elephants at a respectful distance (and do not ride them) should be permitted.

February

Dr Christina organised a session on ‘Creation Care Christian Responsibility’ at the European Academy of Religion Conference at St Andrews University in Scotland, to be held in late June.

Fr Simon and Rev Rob organised and conducted an Animal Blessing Service in Kent on World Pet Day.

March

 Our President was interviewed by Paula Sparks of The Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law (ALAW) and was the first podcast by a theologian for their group. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/talking-christian-orthodoxy-animals-and-law/id1578444621?i=1000615102578  or

https://www.alaw.org.uk/podcast/

They discussed among other topics how Trinitarian theology and Justinian Law could provide a platform for better defining ‘person’ in UK and International Law in the 21^st century. Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law

She also attended as an observer, the Suprasl Orthodox Youth ​Environmental ​Leadership Program. This was an online educational ​program focused on providing basic knowledge and ​understanding on the theology and spiritual teaching of the ​Orthodox Church on ecological matters, teaching about ​modern environmental challenges, and raising the capacity of ​Orthodox youth to respond in a practical way to those ​challenges. Suprasl is a world fellowship of Orthodox youth founded in ​2022 following an international meeting of Orthodox youth at ​the Monastery of the Annunciation in Suprasl, Poland. Its aim ​is to provide opportunities for Orthodox youth from around ​the world to meet in prayer and fellowship, to encourage each ​other in their faith and love for Jesus Christ.

April

The Animal Interfaith Alliance, of which POCA is a member, was represented on a zoom panel for the Charter for Compassion’s Golden Rule Day, on Wednesday 5th April, to discuss “The Golden Rule and Compassion for All Animals” – The Golden Rule and Compassion for All Animals for Golden Rule Day 2023 – YouTube

May

Dr Christina’s article ‘Wizards, Prophets, and the Archbishops and Bishops of the Christian Church,’ was published by Fordham’s Public Orthodoxy online platform. Wizards, Prophets, and the Archbishops and Bishops of the Christian Church – Public Orthodoxy

As you will remember, by this time it was clear that Fr Simon was seriously ill. He died on 29^th May. His burial took place on 13^th June.

June

In early June we were approached by the Non-Human Rights Project in the USA, who had been litigating in California on behalf of three elephants confined at Fresno Chaffee Zoo, to write another Amicus Curia brief on their behalf. This was undertaken and again, other Orthodox theologians and ethicists co-signed the letter. We are happy to report that the NHRP were successful in achieving permission to proceed with the case.

On June 15^th we highlighted an investigation into groups of people across the world showing Monkey Torture videos on social media. It is interactive and people can write in on how the monkey babies can be tortured and killed! It is not on the Dark Web but available for you and our children to see. I noted on our website that this is why we do our work and that morning had shed the same tears of sadness for these fallen, darkened souls who enjoy and inflict such horrors, as I do for the poor innocent creatures who suffer unspeakable horrors and suffering at their hands. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew rightly teaches that ecological evils have their root both in a “destruction of religious piety within the human heart” and a too narrow definition of sin in the individual’s sense of guilt or wrongdoing. Calls for Christians to widen our concept of sin to include the abuse and exploitation of animals and the wider creation, and of the need for transfigured lives, clearly have relevance for animal suffering and our work. This is why we continue to encourage our church and others, to include animal suffering and protection into their education programmes, both at seminary and parish level.

Representatives of Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals charity chaired and spoke at a session on ‘Creation Care Christian Responsibility’ at the European Academy of Religion Conference at St Andrews University in Scotland. Fr Simon was to present a paper on ‘Creation Care as Mission,’ but due to his repose, another Orthodox presenter at the conference took his place.

The session was full of excellent and varied presentations from three Orthodox theologians and philosophers and one Catholic theologian. Dr Olga took the place of Fr Simon, and we are grateful to her, both for her willingness to engage with us and for her valuable contribution.

Eastern Orthodox theologian Dr. Olga Sevastyanova opened the ‘Creation Care Christian Responsibility’ session with her excellent paper entitled ‘The Breath of God in Creation.’ Her paper explored the three scriptural Hebrew terms נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), נְשָׁמָה (neshama) and ר֣וּחַ (ruah) rendered into English as soul, breath, or spirit. Dr Olga demonstrate that in the Scriptures, there is no clear distinction between God’s immortal breath /spirit (neshama/ruah) and the breath/spirit (neshama/ruah) within creatures. The whole of creation participates in the life of God by the very fact of its living. It is always God who animates the creatures, both physically and spiritually. She brought attention to the fact that the breath of life (nishmat hayyim), breathed into the human nostrils at Creation according to Genesis 2:7, does not constitute the difference between humans and other creatures. Both animals and humans are animated by God’s breath. She explained that this raises the question about the place of animals within Orthodox Theology. She also explored two questions: Where does the sharp theological distinction between the animal world and the human come from? For what reasons did Orthodox theology displace animals from participation in God? Her paper interrogated these questions using the theology of St. Gregory of Nyssa.

Eastern Orthodox philosopher Natalia Doran (above) then gave her presentation entitled ‘Animal theology in the writings of St John of Damascus.’ Natalia explained that as someone who wrote the nearest to a summa theologica that the Christian East possesses, St John of Damascus can be relied upon to provide a sophisticated and consistent conceptual framework within which a variety of issues, including issues to do with animals. She explained that the terms that are of particular interest are ‘nature’ and ‘hypostasis.’ While it is generally accepted that there will be some type of animal life in the ‘Age to Come’, it is by no means certain that it will be the same animals whom we know and love here, in this space and time continuum. However, following the logic of the ontological priority of the hypostasis that St John adheres to in his exposition of the Orthodox faith, she argued that, since creation is fundamentally particular, it will be animal individuals (hypostases, or persons) who will share eternity with such of us who are worthy of it.

The third member of our team was the Catholic theologian and founder of the Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA), Barbara Gardner, who gave her presentation on ‘The Golden Rule and Compassion for All Beings.’She explained that the Animal Interfaith Alliance, is a unique alliance of faith-based animal advocacy organisations which represents the major faiths and focuses on what we have in common and on what unites us, rather than what differentiates us. We recognise that the Golden Rule, “to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself” is common amongst all faiths and traditions, dating back millennia. We also recognise that all faiths and traditions have included animals in their definition of “others” in the Golden Rule. She reminded us that sadly, many of the followers of those faiths and traditions today, and for hundreds of years in the past, have forgotten that the rule applies to all sentient beings – beings who can feel pain and suffer, and who can experience pleasure and happiness. In our ever more human-centric world, animals have become excluded from our circle of compassion. They have become reduced to mere commodities for our use, with little or no regard for their complex emotional, social, and spiritual lives. She went on to explain that the AIA aims to educate people on the original teachings of their faiths and to reinstate the fundamental principle that we must extend our circle of compassion to include all conscious, sentient beings, and that we must extend to them also, the golden rule and treat them as we would wish to be treated ourselves.  All member groups believe in a lifestyle which does not harm others. Animals are sentient beings who have the right to live freely and not made to suffer by humans and exist for their own sakes and not for ours. We believe that we are part of an interconnected web, which includes the Earth and all its inhabitants, both plant and animals. By abusing part of that web, we damage the rest of it, including the environment and ourselves.

Finally, Eastern Orthodox theologian and Chair of the session, Dr Christina Nellist gave an outline of the ‘Creation Care Christian Responsibility Course.’ She explained that this course, originally written for an Orthodox audience, is easily adapted for use by other Christian denominations. It is for use in Christian parishes, youth groups, seminary institutions or for individual study. It may also provide a useful framework for homilies. The course, consisting of eight lessons, establishes that concern and compassion for animals is not a modern phenomenon, but one found both in the Bible and in the earliest teachings of the Christian Church. It provides an anamnesis of a lesser-known Christian tradition, where all animals are loved and protected by God and that their suffering is against God’s will. It reminds us that in our role as Image, we should strive to reflect the Archetype in our lives. At times, it also highlights the soteriological implications of our abuse and exploitation of God’s non-human animal beings and the wider creation. It reminds us that by causing harm to animals or by our indifference to it, human salvation is in jeopardy. It is written to facilitate Christian Church engagement with the subjects of animal suffering and care for the environment/creation.

July

In July we received this word of encouragement from someone across the globe, who like so many others, know of our work and appreciate what we do. It said:

‘Hello, Dr. Nellist! I am an American college student and a catechumen in the Orthodox Church. I am also a vegan and was delighted to find out about the POCAC! I wanted to thank you for the work you have done in this field; it is my hope that Orthodox Christians will lead the charge toward a more compassionate treatment of animals. May the Lord bless you in your endeavors,…’

May the Lord continue to bring us people willing to help us in our work on His behalf.

In early July, Dr Nellist taught sessions at the Volos Academy of Theology’s Summer School on ‘The Interdependence of Animal and Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development,’ and ‘The Creation Care Christian Responsibility Course’ and its uses for the audience, which consisted of Orthodox Priests from Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Georgia.

She also participated in a workshop on this subject, with her colleagues Dr Chris Durante, and anthropologist, Francis Kostarelos.

As you know POCA is against testing on animals, not only because of the extreme suffering and death of millions of God’s creatures but because it is bad science. It was not difficult therefore, for us to attend and promote the online book launch of Rat Trap: The Capture of Medicine by Animal Research – and how to Break Free by Dr. Pandora Pound, Research Director at Safer Medicines Trust in the UK. We have in the past promoted scientific articles on this subject such as this Sage Article: ‘The Use of Human Tissues for Research: What Investigators Need to Know.’https://journals.sagepub.com/…/10…/02611929221107933… and others will be forthcoming, so that our readers can be better informed on the subject.

August

Our President Dr Christina was invited by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics to attend their Summer School on ‘Animals and the Media’ at Oxford.

We at last received the edited Met. Kallistos videos from our dear supporter James Hyndman. These were made in late 2019 to specifically raise funds for POCA. We intended to write a series of short children’s books, which would include a supporting video. This project is something we wish to proceed with when time allows. If you would like to help with this project by participation or through funding, please contact us at panorthodoxconcernforanimals@gmail.com with the heading ‘Met Kallistos books’.

September

Our President attended the Faith in Europe ‘Concern of Young Christians in Europe: Key Perspectives’ zoom conference.

We also received great news that the Bill to protect the Asian Elephant had received Royal Assent by King Charles 111. This was Duncan’s response:

“Save The Asian Elephants and the millions who have supported our campaign hope the passing into law of the landmark Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill will prove a momentous day for animals everywhere. The measures, resolutely implemented and enforced, will help protect endangered and vulnerable species across the world from extreme exploitation, harm, and death in tourism. They will also save many lives of humans too, turned upon by maddened elephants and other creatures provoked by torture. Save The Asian Elephants is hugely appreciative of all who have supported our campaign for these changes, of our government, our Parliament across party divides, the charity sector, and the public. All must now set our hand to starting the transition from brutal and dangerous practices to ethical sanctuaries and wildlife reserves.

Britain can take pride in this world-first law, and we must encourage the world to follow suit whilst time remains for so many beleaguered species, our brothers, and sisters in nature.”

Duncan McNair – CEO, Save The Asian Elephants

October

In early October, Dr Christina flew to Lebanon to instruct students and staff at Balamand University on the work of Met. Kallistos, and his lifelong care for all of God’s creatures. The following week she lectured at the Middle East Council of Churches Symposium on ‘Ecumenical Perspective on Climate Change,’ where she was the Orthodox representative. POCA’S Icon of ‘Christ Breaking the Bonds of Animal Suffering’ is shown on the slide in the below picture and was part of Dr Christina’s session, which was broadcast live across the region and well attended both by senior academics and students from across the Middle East.

Hosea 4:1-3 was the only Biblical quote she gave in her presentation, because it is relevant for our era, and sadly more so now with the abominations inflicted in Israel on the 7^th October and the resulting war:

‘There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land.

There is only lying, cursing and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying.’

November

We are excited at our inclusion in this book entitled ‘Meditations on Creation in an Era of Extinction’ by Prof. Kate Rigby, who is Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Environmental Humanities, University of Cologne, where she directs the research hub Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH), and are  humbled at her kind words relating to our work. https://orbisbooks.com/products/9781626985506…

Practicing an ancient form of theological reflection, Kate Rigby returns to the biblical narrative of the six days of creation in the horizon of accelerating climate chaos, biodiversity loss, ecological unravelling, and environmental injustice, and shares inspiring stories of faith-based initiatives to respond to the entangled cries of the earth, our fellow creatures, and the poor. Meditations on Creation in an Era of Extinction is acclaimed by Mary Evelyn Tucker of the Forum on Religion and Ecology as “a brilliant weaving of Christian theology, personal reflection, and environmental action” that is “destined to become a classic.” In her reflections on the sixth day of creation, Rigby highlights the work of Orthodox theologian,

Dr. Christina Nellist, and of the organisation she co-founded with Met. Kallistos of Diokleia – Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals Charity, as an outstanding example of Christian advocacy for fellow animals, nourished by the legacy of the Eastern church fathers, several of whom made a major contribution to the hexamoral tradition that Rigby revivifies in this book.

On 12^th November, Prof Martin Henig and Dr Nellist conduct/attend the Animals in War Memorial Service, which was as beautiful and thought-provoking as ever.

On the 30^th Dr Christina gave a talk on ‘Orthodox Prayers for Animals’ at the Interfaith Celebration for Animals Ceremony.

We were contacted by Fr Jacob Siemens, editor of the on-line Orthodox Exchange Magazine, who requested an article. ‘Animals on the Orthodox Agenda’ was sent to them in early December – see the magazine here https://www.orthodoxexchange.net/magazine 

December

As you know Dr Christina is also on the Board of the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration in America. This is the appeal for the poor of Zimbabwe that was posted recently:

Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This letter invites funds for Christmas food relief for the extraordinarily poor Orthodox Christians of Zimbabwe. The number of Zimbabweans in extreme poverty has reached 8.3 million as the pandemic in that country has delivered an economic shock to the country. These are most likely among the poorest people on earth.

No other Orthodox organization provides help to the situation in Zimbabwe. The United Nations World Food program calls their predicament a “Full-Blown Humanitarian Crisis.” Global climate change is one of the multiple causes of the record drought in Zimbabwe. Food which farmers might normally produce is drying up in the fields.

According to a World Bank’s economic report, about half of Zimbabwe’s population fell into extreme poverty last year, with children bearing the brunt of the misery. Hunger has a ripple effect on desperately poor families. If they can buy food, they will likely forgo health care as they are unable to pay for medicines. Then they will also keep children out school to avoid education costs, such as for school fees and books. For those of you who are able to send a donation, your name and ALL of your donation will be sent directly to HE Archbishop Seraphim [Kykotis] in Zimbabwe. He will in turn distribute these funds equitably across the parishes of the archdiocese. Please send donations to: The OFT, c/o Food Relief for Zimbabwe, P.O. Box 7348, Santa Rosa, California 95407 USA

Give what you can. No donation is too small. 100% of your donation goes to the people of Zimbabwe. Your contribution for Food Relief is 100% tax deductible. Yours in service to God’s good earth, Fred Krueger see the OFT and its work at www.Orth-Transfiguration.org

In December, the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics published its Report on predator control. As a Fellow at the OCAE, our President co-signed the Report. Here is the Press Release:

 “Predator control” on Scottish moors causes tremendous, unjustifiable suffering to animals, say academics. Over 120 academics worldwide have backed a report that calls for an end to snaring, trapping, and poisoning animals on Scottish moors. Animals are killed in order to artificially inflate grouse populations for shooting.

“The best available estimates indicate that as many as 260,000 animals are killed as a result of legal ‘predator control’ practices each year in Scotland” maintains the Report.

The Report is signed by numerous ethicists and philosophers, including Scottish academics from the universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh, Stirling, and Aberdeen, and the Nobel Laureate, J. M. Coetzee.

Titled “Killing to Kill,” the 71-page Report by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics graphically details how each method of control “causes suffering, or prolongs suffering, or makes animals liable to suffering.”

Snares are condemned because they “inevitably mean that animals can struggle for hours in considerable pain and distress.” Even the supposedly most humane trap, the DOC (Department of Conservation) trap, only kills 80% of its victims quickly, while the remaining 20% are left to suffer appalling injuries, with no requirement for inspection. And poisons mean that animals suffer for days.

“This is a major moral issue” claims Centre director the Revd Professor Andrew Linzey, “it simply cannot be right to cause tremendous suffering for non-essential purposes. When we began the Report, we knew hardly anything about these control measures, but we have been staggered by the degree of suffering. Few people are cognizant of the situation. It is a much neglected and overlooked area of animal cruelty.”

The Report concludes by calling for a new charter for free-living animals. “Scotland could lead the way in pioneering legislation that encompasses not only domestic animals, but also free-living ones. This legislation should begin with the recognition of sentiency and enshrine in law the value and dignity of free-living animals such that their right to live unmolested is respected.”

The Report is written by a fellow and the directors of the Centre, Dr Katie Javanaud, Dr Clair Linzey, and the Revd Professor Andrew Linzey. It was commissioned by the Scottish charity, the League Against Cruel Sports, but is an entirely independent report and at no point did the League seek to influence the Report’s findings or conclusions.

Director of the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland Robbie Marsland, commented: “The League Against Cruel Sports is not surprised that many people believe Scotland’s “grouse moors” are an animal ethics free zone. Polling shows that 76% of Scots do not support the practice of ‘predator control’ to kill hundreds and thousands of animals so that more grouse can be shot for entertainment. This report clearly outlines the ethical case against this uncontrolled killing. The biggest surprise is that any suggestion that this killing should stop is met with incredulity by the shooting fraternity. We hope the report will open the eyes of politicians considering the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill to the enormous ethical issues before them.” The Report can be viewed online here. league_scotland_grouse_ethics_final.pdf

The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics is an independent Centre which pioneers ethical perspectives on animals through research, teaching, and publication. It comprises a fellowship of more than 140 academics worldwide. The Centre collaborates with Palgrave Macmillan on the Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series which has published more than forty books to date. It also publishes the Journal of Animal Ethics in partnership with the University of Illinois Press. The Centre organises the Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School each year, held at Merton College, Oxford. The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain’s leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused, and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act. It carries out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. The League also works to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage sanctuaries to protect wildlife. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).

We are delighted to inform you that in early December one of our team, Natalia Doran, flew to Georgia to speak at the annual international conference of the Orthodox Research group of St John Chrysostom. ‘Reading Scripture as Orthodox Theologians’ being the over-arching theme of the conference, Natalia chose to focus her presentation on Psalm 103 (the creation psalm, numbered 104 in Western reckoning), hoping to make her paper an instantiation of Orthodox interpretation. Verses 29-31, and their significance for the wider issue of animal immortality, were carefully considered. Those verses happen to be directly quoted and commented on by St Maximus the Confessor and St Gregory of Nyssa. Do look out for a new entry on our website and let us know in the comments on our FB site if you are interested in Natalia’s take on the Tbilisi street dog situation, including a visit to a local shelter.

We have been asked to write a short article for The Wheel, on Mets Ware/Zizioulas’ concern for animals, which will include a critical comparison of their relative texts.

Now for some housekeeping and exciting news.

As a result of Fr Simon’s death, our President has relinquished the Chair of the charity to an exceptionally talented and well-respected Orthodox theologian. She will take on Fr Simon’s role as Treasurer, whilst remaining its President, and continuing to write articles and attend conferences on behalf of POCA. We shall be announcing the newest member of the team in early January, so keep your eyes on our FB and website!!

Finally, we thank you for your continuing support and love, and it gives us immense pleasure in wishing you all a wonderfully spiritual and loving Christmas, and a happy New Year.

by Natalia Doran

The superscription of psalm 103 reads, “A Psalm of David, on the Creation of the World”, or, literally, on the “genesis” of the world, referring the reader to the first book of Scripture. The superscription gives the key to the interpretation of the psalm: it essentially covers the same ground as the Book of Genesis, but in the form of praise.

The place that psalm 103 occupies in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church can hardly be exaggerated. It is known as the Introductory Psalm, opening, as it does, the service of Vespers, which itself begins the liturgical day. (The Orthodox liturgical day begins in the evening, with reference to the Book of Genesis, e.g. “There was evening and there was morning, the first day”, etc.). It is not a mere reading of Scripture in a church service, but rather part of a solid structure of public worship that leads from Creation, via the Fall, to the Incarnation and ultimate redemption and participation in divine reality through the Eucharist.

There are two texts in psalm 103 that were directly quoted and commented on by authoritative patristic source, and that are relevant for animal theology.

St Maximos the Confessor, whose cosmology is now more influential than ever, comments on verse 31 (“The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.”). In his Chapters on Love St Maximos writes: “God, full beyond all fullness, brought creatures into being not because He had need of anything, but so that they might participate in Him in proportion to their capacity and that He Himself might rejoice in His works, through seeing them joyful and ever filled to overflowing with His inexhaustible gifts”. It is noteworthy that all creatures, not just humans and angels, participate in God, according to their capacity.

The other direct commentary relates to verses 29-31 of psalm 103: “ Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.” St Gregory of Nyssa, one of the extremely influential Cappadocian Fathers, draws our attention to the sequence of these actions – death, then creation, and renewal. In his book On the Soul and the Resurrection, St Gregory writes, “He (the prophet David) says that a power of the Spirit which works in all, vivifies the beings into whom it enters, and deprives those whom He abandons of their life. Seeing, then, that the dying is declared to occur at the Spirit’s departure, and the renewal of these dead ones at His appearance, and seeing moreover that in the order of the statement the death of those who are to be thus renewed comes first, we hold that in these words that mystery of the Resurrection is proclaimed to the Church.”

It is significant that this text on the Resurrection appears to refer to all God’s creatures, not just humans. It is clear, first of all, from the immediate context; up to verse 29 the psalmist writes about various birds, land animals, humans, and finally sea animals, praising God for giving all these creatures their sustenance. Then they die, and are created, and renewed. The wider context also confirms the reading of verses 29-31 as referring to all creatures: psalm 103 is very much about the whole of creation, whereas the psalm that deals specifically with humans comes immediately before it, it is psalm 102, which starts in exactly the same way as psalm 103 (“Bless the Lord, oh my soul”), but praises God for his goodness specifically to humans.

The idea that death is going to be overcome not only for humans, but for all creatures that are born, is confirmed in modern theology in the writings of Bishop John (Zizioulas), of blessed memory. He writes: “When death is abolished at the end of time it is thought that people’s souls will live on, and though the bodies of these souls might live on too, the rest of the world would die. But this view is mistaken too. Death is a biological phenomenon, which, if it is to be transcended at all, must be transcended by creation as a whole.”

This statement was made by the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Irene in Sep 2020.

Modernity confronts us with many dilemmas. Man must answer challenges, and not
only those for which his teachers in his educational-upbringing process prepared
him, but also totally new and different problems that life places before us. And it has
always been so. Sociologists, pedagogues and culturologists generally agree that
today’s world is changing at a significantly faster pace than ever before. The
technological progress and social innovations of the 20th century have transformed
the world much faster than, for instance, the entire process of development during
medieval times. This process is characterized by a loss of values. Today’s world
functions as a marketplace, meaning that the market economy principle is seeking to
impose itself as the general norm.

The person is the central notion of Christianity: the person is the measure of all
values because it expresses the very designation of the human being, its possibility
and its goal to be in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1,26). To be sure, the
concept of person is not only a Christian category: more precisely, it is possible to
also find it in other theological conceptions. Nevertheless, only Christianity has
produced an integral ontology of personality and established a corresponding
personal pedagogy on its basis. It should be seen as the living experience of the
Church, founded in Christ’s Theandric personality. In that way – through an
Christological steadfastness of being and faith – as partakers in the new soteriological
existence of Redemption and Integration we can meet the challenges of modernity.

But, egotism encourages us to view the world as an opportunity for acquisition
and enjoyment. At every Divine Liturgy, St. John Chrysostom reminds us to
“commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.” A Man
who is captive of egotism is not able to build the right relationship either with God or
with other people: “when there is a feeling of higher worth, it does not only damage
relations between people, it clouds the relationship with God… egotism undermines
all life, which is why it is worth applying oneself towards its eradication.” That is
why the entire Liturgy is one great reminder to overcome our own “I” in order to
achieve communion in the life of the New Creation, in the future Kingdom.

Where must we live in the contemporary world? Only in the place where truth
resides – in Christ’s Church, in its dogmas and its worldview that is, before all –
liturgical. Truly, as a cosmic event, Liturgy cannot “fail” to witness to the world its
true designation in communion with God.

The Church has never avoided facing the crisis of the world that it is supposed
to change, due to its experiential knowledge that crisis – is the ontological state of
the world until Christ’s Second Coming. There is no other world than the “world in
crisis”; it is a world that the Church loves, that it does not anathematize for its
sinfulness but, rather, lavishes it with “works of love in Truth.”

Respected theologians of the Serbian Orthodox Church began to raise serious
concerns about environmental crisis and urgent problems of global warming, floods,
risk of forest fires, sea pollution from plastics, climate changes, etc. Pastors and
theologians of the Church, as well as Christians in general, have always erred, missed
and betrayed their ecclesial task whenever they argued and matched wits with “this
world” and their epoch using methods and arguments of “religious reason,” straining
to prove the world’s sinfulness and condemning it, from the heights of their supposed
“salvation,” to eternal perdition while, in fact, completely and irresponsibly
abandoning it to the power of anthropolatric ideologies and manipulations. And, on
the other hand, Church pastors and theologians have always triumphed over the
world and won it over for Christ’s “easy yoke” (Matthew 11,30) whenever they have
witnessed to it Christ’s Love for the life of the world, liturgical love and sacrifice “in
all and for all.”

What is expected of contemporary Christians, as members of Christ’s Church,
is neither aloof diagnosing of spiritual “illness” nor pronouncements of the “ruination
of the world,” nor panicked anathematizing of “this world” and its apostatic
modernity, but a responsible witnessing of the Truth of God-Man Christ, and an
unmasking of all the anthropolatric ideologies, falsities, misconceptions and
injustices through the love of Christ. The basis of Christian witnessing in the modern
world must be a liturgical love for that world, a love prepared to sacrifice for the life
of the world, instead of a dualistic puritanism that, from the heights of its righteous
self-satisfaction, abhors the “world (that) lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5,19) and
anathematizes it, hating, along with sin, the sinners themselves, contrary to the
example of Christ, Who came into the world for the sake of the sinners, to call them
to repentance (cf. Matthew 9,12-13).

The loss of the Christian experience of life, worldview, criterion of everything
and value system is the mark of the modern fall of the “Christian historical world.” After twenty centuries of her baptismal-resurrectional history, the Church finds
herself once again in a situation of existing in a world that is no longer “hers,” that is
no longer a Christian world, that defines itself as a “post-Christian” world, a “world
after Christianity,” a world that no longer bases itself on Christian foundations and
assumptions, that is either indifferent or openly rejects the Christian theory and
practice of life, thought and action, i.e., Christianity as a whole, together with its
theology and anthropology, ontology, ethics and esthetics, cosmology and ecology.
We have a crucial role as Orthodox Church in encouraging the world’s response to
the climate and ecological crisis through Church as Body of Christ. We give a clear
message for Orthodox climate leadership, focusing primarily on the Balkan Peninsula
and Mediterranean, which is facing mounting challenges caused or exacerbated by
climate change and the broader environmental crisis.

The experience of the entire creation (the World) as Home, is possible
exclusively and solely from that which is the Wholeness of Heaven and earth, history
and the Eschaton – from the Body of Christ and in the Body of Christ, Christ’s
Church, which is larger and higher and more encompassing than the world, “which
surpasses Heaven itself,” which contains within herself not only the entire cosmos,
not only the visible but also the invisible world, “all worlds” “life, immortality and
eternity, and theandricity.” That is because graceful ascetic knowledge of God is the
source of all other human knowledge – self-knowledge (anthropology) as well as
knowledge of the world (cosmology, ecology).

The ascetic experience of the Fathers, i.e., the “renunciation of the (fallen)
world,” commanded by the God-Man Christ Himself (“If any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me…” (Matthew 16,24),
“lies in the very nature of the Christian philosophy of life and means a radical change
of relationship with the world and with oneself, and a change of the way of life,
behind which lies a demand for freedom that only the Holy Spirit can grant.”
Let us all recall the commands of God regarding our use of the earth as Our
Home. Let us respond to the divine commandments so that the blessings of God may
be abundantly upon us in Liturgy and prayers. And let us responsibly discern the
right, holy and proper way to live in this time of change and challenge, as a life in
Church as a Body of Christ.

Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Irinej (†)

Belgrade, Serbia
September 2020

God to Saint Francis Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

Saint Francis It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

God Grass? But, it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It’s sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

Saint Francis Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

God The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

Saint Francis Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

God They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

Saint Francis Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

God They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

Saint Francis No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

God Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

Saint Francis Yes, Sir.

God These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

Saint Francis You aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

God What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It’s a natural cycle of life.

Saint Francis You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

God No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

Saint Francis After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

God And where do they get this mulch?

Saint Francis They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

God Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

Saint Francis ‘Dumb and Dumber’, Lord. It’s a story about….

God Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

George P. Nassos

In Addition to Climate Change and Our Natural Resources, Think About Water

I have talked about the increasing problem with climate change and our natural resources, but another major environmental issue is the decline in quality and quantity of fresh water in the world. Roughly, 97% of the water on the planet is saltwater while only 3% is freshwater, what is needed for human consumption, industrial use, and agricultural use. But how much of this freshwater is truly available for use? Not very much. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, only 5% of all the freshwater on the earth is available which is only 0.15% of all the water on earth. The rest of the freshwater is in icecaps, glaciers, and groundwater. And how does this freshwater use break down: roughly, 60% is for agricultural use, 30% for industrial use, and only 10% of the freshwater is for human consumption. That means that the available water for human consumption is only 0.015% of the water on this earth. And as the population continues to grow, the amount of available water per person will continue to decrease.

The biggest consumers of freshwater are the agricultural fields around the world. According to an estimate in National Geographic, the agricultural demand for water is expected to increase by 50% by 2050. Here in the United States the biggest decline in water for agriculture is probably in the west, mostly affecting Arizona, California, Colorado, Neveda, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. This decline is primarily due to the droughts affecting the Colorado River which supplies water to these seven states. They are currently trying to decide how to reduce water consumption. Some of these states have already imposed laws against the installation of lawns for new homes.

One way of reducing agricultural water consumption is to move quickly to urban farming, also known as vertical farming. This refers to growing fruits and vegetables in some high-rise buildings using hydroponics. The major benefits of urban farms include the use of at least 90% less water than in agricultural fields. In hydroponics the water is fed directly to the roots of the plants and not spread over agricultural fields where only 5-10% of the water reaches the plant. In addition, you can grow crops 365 days per year and transportation costs go way down because the building can be in the middle of the market demand. Another benefit is the much lower requirement for fertilizers and pesticides. Since the plants are all indoors, there is a need for artificial lighting, but this can be supplied by renewable energy to keep the cost down. Now is the best time to add more urban farming with the availability of empty office buildings, thanks to more people working from home.

Water for industrial use is primarily needed for manufacturing such as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, or cooling. A large amount of freshwater is also used for power generation in coal-fired and gas-fired power plants as well as nuclear energy plants. In these cases, the water is heated to produce steam which is needed for the electrical generators. With a continued increase in solar and wind energy, the demand for these other forms of power generation should decrease.

Although human consumption of water is the smallest portion of the use of freshwater, we each have a personal requirement to manage it as best as possible. We have relied on groundwater for many years, but this source of fresh water is depleting quickly. One example is when Nestle, the world’s largest bottled water company, was filling bottles with freshwater in Michigan until the groundwater source was completely depleted. The company received approval from Washington to switch to Lake Michigan for its bottled water. Now, the Nestle plant consumes water from the lake and ships most of this bottled water to Asia. On top of that, we really shouldn’t be consuming bottled water as it takes almost twice the content of the bottle in water just to produce the plastic bottle. In addition, only 10% of these plastic bottles are currently recycled.

Something else to think about is that the water we use to flush a toilet is of the same quality as the water we drink. Does it have to be that clean? When remodeling, we should consider installing a toilet with a sink above it. This way disposed water from washing our hands or face will go into the toilet tank and used for the next flush. There are even urinals for men’s restrooms that have a small sink above each urinal. When the person is through using the urinal, he can remain there to wash his hands and have the wash water be used to clean the urinal. Again, using water for multiple applications.

As mentioned earlier, several states are preventing new homes from being built with lawns on the property. The reason is obvious because of the quantity of water that most people feel is necessary to maintain a nice lawn. I have not watered my lawn in over 20 years, and it doesn’t look any worse than some of my neighbor’s who do water their lawns. One of the reasons is best explained in this story of St. Francis talking to God about lawns. God and St Francis discuss lawns – ABC (none) – Australian Broadcasting Corporation If you have been watering your lawn, I am somewhat confident that you won’t do it anymore after reading this conversation.

Let’s all be cognizant of the value of this critically important resource that is so limited.

Here is a short video link for information on saving the Asian elephant.

https://tinyurl.com/yc7uu9sh

This can be used for senior school discussions but not for younger children.

Creation Care Christian Responsibility Session

St Andrews University, St Andrews, Scotland. June 2023

At the end of June, the Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals Charity ran a session entitled ‘Creation Care Christian Responsibility’ at the European Academy of Religion’s conference at St Andrews University in St Andrews, Scotland. It was a session full of interesting presentations from three Orthodox theologians and philosophers and one Catholic theologian, who took the place of Fr Simon who had recently died, and we are grateful to her, both for her willingness to engage with us and for her valuable contribution.

Eastern Orthodox theologian Dr. Olga Sevastyanova opened the ‘Creation Care Christian Responsibility’ session with her excellent paper entitled The Breath of God in Creation. Her paper explored the three scriptural Hebrew terms נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), נְשָׁמָה (neshama) and ר֣וּחַ (ruah) rendered into English as soul, breath, or spirit. Dr Olga demonstrate that in the Scriptures, there is no clear distinction between God’s immortal breath /spirit (neshama/ruah) and the breath/spirit (neshama/ruah) within creatures. The whole of creation participates in the life of God by the very fact of its living. It is always God who animates the creatures, both physically and spiritually. She brought attention to the fact that the breath of life (nishmat hayyim), breathed into the human nostrils at Creation according to Genesis 2:7, does not constitute the difference between humans and other creatures. Both animals and humans are animated by God’s breath. She explained that this raises the question about the place of animals within Orthodox Theology. Where does the sharp theological distinction between the animal world and the human come from? For what reasons did Orthodox theology displace animals from participation in God? Her paper interrogated these questions using the theology of St. Gregory of Nyssa.

Eastern Orthodox philosopher Natalia Doran (above) then gave her presentation entitled Animal theology in the writings of St John of Damascus. Natalia explained that as someone who wrote the nearest to a summa theologica that the Christian East possesses, St John of Damascus can be relied upon to provide a sophisticated and consistent conceptual framework within which a variety of issues, including issues to do with animals, can be discussed. She explained that the terms that are of particular interest are nature and hypostasis. While it is generally accepted that there will be some type of animal life in the ‘Age to Come’, it is by no means certain that it will be the same animals whom we know and love here, in this space and time continuum. However, following the logic of the ontological priority of the hypostasis that St John adheres to in his exposition of the Orthodox faith, she argued that, since creation is fundamentally particular, it will be animal individuals (hypostases, or persons) who will share eternity with such of us who are worthy of it.

The third member of our team was the Catholic theologian and founder of the Animal Interfaith Alliance, Barbara Gardner, who gave her presentation on The Golden Rule and Compassion for All Beings. She explained that she was representing the Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA), which is a unique alliance of faith-based animal advocacy organisations which represents the major faiths, and focuses on what we have in common and on what unites us, rather than what differentiates us.  We recognise that the Golden Rule, “to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself” is common amongst all faiths and traditions, dating back millennia.  We also recognise that all faiths and traditions have included animals in their definition of “others” in the Golden Rule.  She reminded us that sadly, many of the followers of those faiths and traditions today, and for hundreds of years in the past, have forgotten that the rule applies to all sentient beings – beings who can feel pain and suffer, and who can experience pleasure and happiness.  In our ever more human-centric world, animals have become excluded from our circle of compassion.  They have become reduced to mere commodities for our use, with little or no regard for their complex emotional, social and spiritual lives. She went on to explain that the AIA aims to educate people on the original teachings of their faiths and to reinstate the fundamental principle that we must extend our circle of compassion to include all conscious, sentient beings, and that we must extend to them also, the golden rule and treat them as we would wish to be treated ourselves.  All member groups believe in a lifestyle which does not harm others.  Animals are sentient beings who have the right to live freely and not to be made to suffer by humans and exist for their own sakes and not for ours.  We believe that we are part of an interconnected web which includes the Earth and all its inhabitants, both plant and animals.  By abusing part of that web, we damage the rest of it, including the environment and ourselves.

Finally, Eastern Orthodox theologian and Chair of the session, Dr Christina Nellist gave an outline of one of her forthcoming sessions at the Volos Academy of Theology in Greece, entitled The Creation Care Christian Responsibility Course. She explained that this course, originally written for an Orthodox audience, is easily adapted for use by other Christian denominations. It is for use in Christian parishes, youth groups, seminary institutions or for individual study. It may also provide a useful framework for homilies. The course, consisting of eight lessons, establishes that concern and compassion for animals is not a modern phenomenon, but one found both in the Bible and in the earliest teachings of the Christian Church. It provides an anamnesis of a lesser-known Christian tradition, where all animals are loved and protected by God and that their suffering is against God’s will. It reminds us that in our role as Image, we should strive to reflect the Archetype in our lives. At times, it also highlights the soteriological implications of our abuse and exploitation of God’s non-human animal beings and the wider creation. It reminds us that by causing harm to animals or by our indifference to it, human salvation is in jeopardy. It is written to facilitate Christian Church engagement with the subjects of animal suffering and climate change, which, though separate subjects, are deeply interconnected.        

In his 2018 book ‘Wizards and Prophets’, C. C. Mann describes the work and approaches of two of the most important environmentalists of the 20^th century – William Vogt and Norman Borlaug. Unfortunately, their ‘blueprints’ are contradictory approaches to the problems of Climate Change. Mann categories those who follow Borlaug’s model of ‘techno-optimism’ (that science and technology will resolve the problems) as Wizards. Those following the Vogt model are described as Prophets – ‘those decrying the consequences of our heedlessness’, those calling for a lighter carbon footprint. Whilst each derided the other’s view, neither are described by Mann in terms of ‘good and evil’, but in terms of ‘different ideas of the good life’.  These group of followers I describe here as groups One and Two. Many in society fall into these two categories and of course, we find them in the Christian Church.

There are however other categories, as Mann acknowledges, though he sees these as part of a continuum of thought – overlapping in places. Group Three, the ‘Climate Deniers’, are those who in my terminology, seem to believe that Climate Change is nothing more than a giant conspiracy. There is a fourth group, those I describe as the ‘Vested Interests’, who know of Climate Change but choose to continue to maximize their wealth and influence, regardless of the damage to the rest of society – likely ‘the principalities and powers’ that the Apostles identified as the opponents to a Christ-like life and human salvation.

Recently, the IPCC gave its latest, probably penultimate warning to the world – a framework for human survival. The first two groups of humans are not surprised at its findings and continue to worry at the lack of action in the timeframe that is available to act. The fourth group is also not surprised, but they are too rich to worry, as they have already bought enough land in enough places to beat the odds, and of course, have super-yachts as a fall-back position, should the time of Noah return. But what of the third group who refuse to listen to those whom God has sent to warn of the impending ‘flood’? Without help from the Christian Church, which ought to offer a different voice to group Four, they are likely to continue to listen to the vested interests. Is it ignorance or arrogant indifference that we find in this group? Whatever it is, they need guidance.

As our governments overall, have ignored the previous reports and urgent timeframe, it is reasonable for a theologian to ask – who will be in the 21^st century ‘Ark’? The answer is likely to be two-fold. Firstly, there will be several ‘Super Arks’, with group 4s on board, and perhaps some smaller versions with some group 1 and 2s on board. Secondly, Group 3 will be left floundering and are likely to die of starvation due to food scarcity; or on their exodus from their lands that are underwater or parched dry; or in the civil unrest and war that will arise as societies break down into lawlessness and mass migration, as climate instability, food and water scarcity increasingly manifest, and they realise their foolishness in listening to those in group 4. So, is that it? Is nothing to be done? As the IPCC suggests, there is a still a small window of opportunity available to us.

All four categories of human outlined above are to be found in the Christian Church. Thankfully, most Patriarchs have acknowledged the existential danger of Climate Change and instability, and most have spoken on its perils and of the need for Christians to lead more eco-theologically sustainable Christian lives. However, there remains a gap between what is taught at the top of our Christian Churches and what is happening at parish level, and after decades and decades of prophetic Christian teachings, we must ask in earnest why this is so?

There is a group of powerful clergy in the traditional Christian churches that exist between the Patriarchs and the priests and whilst there are a few Archbishops and Bishops that are actively encouraging their priests to engage with the Climate Crisis unfolding before us, many – too many – are not. The forensic question to ask is why? What is it that prevents them from giving their priests the permission or instruction to engage with the most pressing issue of our time? Maybe some of them belong to group 3 – they hear the teachings, hear the warnings, but refuse to believe them? C. S. Lewis writes brilliantly on this possibility in the ‘Screwtape Letters’, as one of the errors our human race can fall into – that is, in not believing in the existence of the devil – or in modern terms – the powers that work against Christ and us, to prevent us living a Christ-like life and thus achieving salvation:

‘Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head…Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church…Teach him to call it ‘real life’ and don’t let him ask what he means by ‘real’…But the best of all is to let him read no science..’

Whilst we might expect this to be the case in the majority of group 3 ‘Climate Deniers’ in wider society, we ought not to expect these views in our churches.

Maybe some Archbishops and Bishops are under the direct influence of some of the rich and powerful group 4 and feel unable to speak out due to financial pressures, constraints, or threats of defunding? If this is the case, then we must pray for them and keep praying for them until the veils/scales fall from their eyes, and they take on the courage of Christ. Whatever their reasoning – they have lost their way.

The final forensic question, which is set with the backdrop of plentiful material and courses available for use in our parishes is this – will there be a soteriological consequence for those who have been given the privilege and power to act to save their flocks, the wider communities, and the other creatures within them, but fail to do so?

Sadly, there are many pets that are homeless in the UK. You can help reduce this alarming number by advocating for these defenseless animals, just like Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals.

Rehome a pet

Rehoming an animal instead of purchasing them from a breeder is one of the ways you can reduce pet homelessness.

Why not pay for a trip to one of the many pet shelters in the UK? There are many different shelters to choose from, so find one in your area or neighborhood that’s trying to make a difference for animals..

Get your home ready for him or her. Apart from making sure you have a dog bed, a harness, dog toys, etc. you also need to pet-proof your home to make it a safe environment for your pet.

Take time to bond with them by implementing routines they can get used to. Also, be sure to set aside time in your day for quality bonding with your pet.

Start a non-profit organisation

You can help the animal society at large by starting a non-profit organisation of your own to be the change you want to see.

Decide on your company’s primary objective. Will it be an animal rescue nonprofit, or an organisation that specialises in rehoming pets?

Make sure you apply for a non-profit status, which will ensure that you get the tax exemptions needed to acquire special grants.

Market your business to generate awareness for your plight. Creating a new website can help you build credibility with the public.

Make use of social media to help build a loyal following for your cause. You can upload a PDF to Facebook in some cases if you want to provide detailed information about your organisation in a succinct format.

Donate if you can

If you have the resources to donate to organisations that need them, then be sure to contact them right away to help animals that are in desperate need of love and care.

Look at different animal charities and donate whenever you can. Charities often cover different things (stopping animal abuse, helping rescue animals, etc.), so find one whose mission statement stirs a fire in your heart.

Another way to help animals in dire situations is by donating items to charity. In addition to food and supplies, you could also donate items like towels, blankets, and bedding.

It is easier nowadays to advocate for a worthy cause, especially if it involves the welfare of animals because people aren’t afraid to speak up anymore. It is even easier to help spread the word about what you’re doing with social media and online tools that can help you get the public’s backing more quickly.

This article is from one of our supporters Mike Nicholson. Whilst Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals is happy to share such articles, the opinions expressed are that of the author.

Earlier today, an Animal Blessing Service took place at the St. Martin of Tours Church in Detling, Kent. It is a very old church and is dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. The building was constructed in the 12th century with 13th and 15th-century additions and restoration carried out in the late 19th century. It is a Grade I listed building.

Brief note on the tradition of Orthodox Animal Blessings

Before we established the Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals Charity, we went and sought permission from Archbishop Gregorios of blessed memory. He immediately gave his permission and blessing. He also told stories of how, when he was a boy in Cyprus, his mother would come back with prosphoron and give some of it to their animals. After he was ordained, he would go into the garden and bless their animals. One might think this unusual until you learn that blessing animals has been an Orthodox Tradition for centuries. Indeed, there are famous prayers for animals from Saints Mamas and Modestos and there are, according to Met. Kallistos of Diokleia, ‘In the Orthodox book of blessings and intercession [Evchologion/Trebnik or Book of Needs] prayers for many species of animals, including bees and silkworms.’ The service today follows in this ancient Christian tradition.

Fr Simon Nellist is the Orthodox priest at The Church of the Annunciation in Boxley, Kent where the Rev. Robert Tugwell is the Anglican priest.

They came together on World Animal Pet Day, to perform a short but beautiful service to a small group of 9 people with 6 companion animals, all of which on this occasion were rescue dogs. (Picures on our FB site (6) Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals | Facebook )

The service opened with Fr Simon reading the following prayer for companion animals and their owners, which included a section of the prayer of St Mamas:

Blessing for Companion Animals and their owners

Blessed is our God, always now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and God saw that everything was made and behold it was very good. Almighty God we come together to thank you for the beauty and the glory of your creation, to praise you and your holiness and grace, and to acknowledge our responsibility for our companion animals and to thank you for their friendship and the love that they show us. Let us pray with the whole church and in the words of the saints, poets, and theologians, for all those who acknowledge the beauty of your creation and in particular, for those animals in our care. Help us care for them with love and compassion, so that they may lead long and happy lives.

From the Prayer of St Mamas

Yes, O Lord our God, Who made the heaven and the earth, and Whose Word grants all things towards salvation to our people, do not neglect this my prayer, from Your humble and lowest servant; but hearken to me, O Lord Who loves mankind, and this my prayer when read, whether to wild, domesticated or companion animals. Do not let sickness or other temptation come close to these animals, that being always guarded by You, we might offer up glory and worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen

The Rev. Rob then asked the congregation to stand and sing the Hymn ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful.’ He went on to give a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the whole of creation, which he reminded us in a short sermon, is suffering because of our sinful ways. We prayed for the lives, companionship, love, and trust that we give and receive from our companion friends. He likened this special relationship to the special relationship we have with God – for it reminds us of the trust, faith and love we have in and for Him, who love and cares for all His creation.

A member of the congregation then sang a contemporary song on the beauty of creation.

The service closed with a blessing for the animals and their owners. There was no barking or mess and the animals were clearly happy to participate.

At the end of the service, doggie treats were available for the animals and the smiles of the owners spoke to the joy in their hearts at receiving this blessing.

At the end, one of the parishioners sat with her dog, speaking quietly with the priest at one end of the Church and reminded me of how in the ‘When Faith meets Fur’ story on our website, the opportunity arose for fellowship and teaching to one of his congregation, see here  WHEN FAITH MEETS FUR – Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals (panorthodoxconcernforanimals.org)