Nature and Historical Connections

October 21, 1999

It is with great pleasure and emotion that we have come to the historic and beautiful city of Budapest, capital of the ancient Hungarian people, who next year will be celebrating the one-thousandth anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian state. I come from the See of the Holy Mother Church, the Great Church of Constantinople, which has very close ties with the Hungarian people. It is a well-known fact that it was through this Church that the Hungarian people became acquainted with Christianity, and that very close ties were developed between the Christian kings of the Byzantine Empire and the Hungarian kings who converted to Christianity, resulting even in blood ties being formed. May I cite the example of the princess Anna, daughter of the Hungarian king Stephen V, who married the Byzantine emperor Andronicos II Palaeologos. Moreover, Mary, daughter of the Byzantine king Theodore I Laskaris became the wife of the Hungarian King Bela I. Let me mention also Irene, daughter of the Hungarian king Ladislav I, who married the Byzantine emperor John II Comnenus and was mother of Manuel I Comnenus. Yet even beyond these numerous examples, many Christian Greeks settled in Hungary during the Byzantine period, and their descendants are now Hungarian citizens.

To all of you, then, dear citizens of Hungary, and relatives in spirit and by blood, I bring warm greetings, affection and the blessing of the suffering Mother Church of Constantinople. I am the bearer of a message of peace, brotherhood and cooperation among all people for the well being of humankind. My visit is taking place in the context of the third international scientific symposium on the subject “Religion, Science, and Environment,” whose specific theme this year is: “Danube – A River of Life.” This symposium is taking place on a ship sailing on the Danube, on the two rivers, the Buda and the Pest, on which the beautiful city of Budapest was built. The aim of this symposium is to make the responsible authorities in each country and city, as well as ordinary citizens, aware of the dangers to humanity entailed in the thoughtless pollution of the environment. For, it is not only the major industries that pollute our natural surroundings; but ordinary citizens do so as well. Measures must, therefore, be taken to stop this pollution not only by the state and local authorities but also by every citizen. In addition, the sensitization of the ordinary citizen acts as a source of pressure on rulers and scientists, obliging them to study the situation and take the necessary measures.

Natural Damage – Human Danger

God created the world as something beautiful. Of course, after the original sin of our fore-bearers, nature became subject to corruption and humanity subject to sin. Nevertheless, through our Lord Jesus Christ, God renewed His covenant with humanity and nature awaits its liberation from the “bondage of corruption” (Rom. 8.21). However we, and especially we Christians who consider love to be our fundamental duty and an element of our being, have an obligation to make sure that our actions do not become harmful for our fellow-men. Pollution and all harmful influences on our environment more generally have an adverse effect on the lives of our fellow human beings, and they must be avoided.

Until a few years ago, the dangers threatening the environment were of no particular interest to the public. Yet, now, these adverse effects have already become evident and dangers to humanity are imminent; for this reason, it is imperative that we all become mobilized. We have placed the program of this particular symposium under the Church’s blessing. First, because this is a further sign of our true love for human beings and our desire to help them to improve their standard of living. Second, becausewe believe that the Church should not be interested solely in the spiritual life of Christians, but also, according to its abilities, in all their needs; this represents both the express commandment of the Lord as well as the long tradition of the Church. And, thirdly, because interest in our fellow human beings and their various problems is a basic element of higher spirituality, given that it removes people from their shell of individualism and selfishness, and turns them toward their fellow human beings, characteristic of persons with a higher moral and spiritual level.

I am sure that the Hungarian people, who reside along the banks of the Danube, have become fully conscious of the more general importance of keeping the Danube clean both for themselves but also for the peoples living around the Black Sea into which it flows. Therefore, I am certain that these people will take all necessary means dictated by modern science and technology in order to eliminate its pollution.