Brussels: As the world prepares to enter the 2025 Season of Creation, Christian leaders across Europe have united in a strong call for prayer, reflection, and responsibility toward safeguarding the planet.
The Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) issued a joint appeal urging believers to cultivate what they describe as a “garden of peace,” rooted in harmony with creation and solidarity with one another. The initiative will unfold from September 1 marked as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation through October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
This year’s theme, Peace with Creation, draws inspiration from the prophet Isaiah’s vision of a peaceful garden where justice and righteousness flourish. In their statement, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, President of the CCEE and Catholic Archbishop of Vilnius, together with Greek Orthodox Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, President of the CEC, reminded Christians that the pursuit of peace with creation is not abstract but a lived daily choice.
“Seeking peace with creation is not an abstract ideal but a daily commitment,” they affirmed. “It is a call to live in a way that honours the giver of life.”
The ecumenical leaders encouraged Christian communities to embrace simplicity, rejecting the exploitation of natural resources and human beings alike. They stressed that even though today’s world is far from resembling a “garden of peace,” God continually offers humanity an alternative to conflict and destruction.
The Season of Creation also gains significance as the world anticipates the UN’s COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, scheduled for November 10–21, 2025. The Church leaders expressed hope that international negotiations will prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable, while ensuring that global cooperation serves the common good.
The statement also aligns the theme with the revised Charta Oecumenica, a document intended to strengthen collaboration among Christian Churches in Europe, set to be signed later this year. It highlights prayer, conversion, and advocacy as central dimensions of Christian witness in caring for creation.
In conclusion, European Churches invited all Christians and people of goodwill to join in prayer and action during the Season of Creation, so that faith may be reflected in daily living and so that the world may journey toward a just, peaceful, and sustainable future.