national-yal-conference
To the Esteemed Delegates of the National Young Adult League Conference, our beloved in the Lord: Grace be to you and peace from God.
It is with sincere joy that we convey to all participants of the National YAL Conference being held in Washington, D.C. from July 10-13, 2008, on the critical theme “Doers of the Word” our Patriarchal and Paternal greeting.
As servants of our Lord Jesus Christ and as adherents of the Orthodox Christian Faith, we are able to claim with conviction “the faith of the Apostles, the faith of the Martyrs, the faith of the Fathers, the faith which has established the universe.”
However, if we are honest with ourselves and with God, we must admit that we rarely perceive the depth of the Word that we proclaim; moreover, all too often, we fail to practice the faith that we preach. At this year’s conference, you will hear from numerous distinguished speakers – led by your spiritual father, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios – how it is that you may become doers of the Word.
We are particularly pleased to learn that a major focus of your deliberations will be the protection of the natural environment. As you are no doubt aware, this ministry has been at the forefront of our concern for two decades now, especially since we believe that the way with which we respond to God’s creation directly reflects the way in which we worship the uncreated Creator. Over the last years, we have accordingly organized international, interfaith and interdisciplinary sea-borne symposia on the ecological crisis that we face in order to raise awareness throughout the world on this crucial topic. For this is an issue that we must all – irrespective of race or creed – confront together.
There is no doubt in our mind that the only way forward is through the concerted effort of our younger generations. Ultimately it is you that need to address this issue; ultimately, it is you that will be faced with the consequences of this crisis; and, ultimately, it is you that will oblige us to assume responsibility for the way we treat the earth and its resources, encouraging us to do so in a manner that dignifies both creation and our Creator.
It will be a gift to the Church and to the entire world if the Young Adult League of the blessed Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America took the lead in this regard, discerning tangible ways with which to respond to ecological problems at the parish level.
As we declared jointly with the late Pope John Paul II in Venice (2002):
It is not too late. God’s world has incredible healing powers. Within a single generation, we could steer the earth toward our children’s future. Let that generation start now.
Indeed, our beloved children in the Lord, let that generation begin with you. Let it begin from this day and from this moment.
At the Patriarchate, 26 June 2008
Your fervent supplicant before God,
+BARTHOLOMEW
Archbishop of Constantinople,
New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
