Learning to be silent is far more difficult and far more important than learning to recite prayers.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of ConstantinopleWe call for an end to the killing of one another, and we denounce the violence and fanaticism that threatens life. The victory of the resurrection must be experienced as a victory of life, of brotherhood, of the future, of hope.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of ConstantinopleTaking away the peace of a people, committing every act of violence, or consenting to such acts, especially when directed against the weakest and defenseless, is a profoundly grave sin against God.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of ConstantinopleConsider the willful scorching of the earth, over-fishing, wasteful hunting, excessive and dangerous recycling of resources, and other similar "injustices" against the ways of nature share in the responsibility for this ecological spiraling down.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of ConstantinopleArrogance and fanaticism cause the hardening of positions taken and entrenchment can only lead to a dead end.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople... the ecological problem of our times demands a radical reevaluation of how we see the entire world; it demands a different interpretation of matter and the world, a new attitude of humankind toward nature, and a new understanding of how we acquire and make use of our material goods.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople