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Resolution of the European Christian Environmental Network adopted at its meeting in the Evangelical Academy in Loccum on October 31, 1999

The Second Ecumenical European Assembly adopted the following resolution: "We recommend that the churches consider and promote the care for creation as part of church life at all levels. One way would be to observe a common creation day, such as the Ecumenical Patriarchate celebrates each year. Rationale: The seriousness of the ecological dilemma for the future of the human race means that the churches' consciousness must be raised. Commitment to the care for creation is not an issue among many but an essential dimension of all church life."

The European Christian Environmental Network, having considered and discussed this resolution, submits to the churches in Europe and to all organisation and people concerned, the following recommendation:

• 1. We welcome the resolution of the Second Ecumenical Assembly in Graz. We urge the churches to put it into practice through a common and concerted effort.
  

• 2. The theme of creation is present in the worship of all Christian tradition. For example, many Protestant churches celebrate harvest worship services and in the Roman Catholic Church the Day of Saint Francis is acquiring increased significance. The proposal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate adds a further occasion of celebrating the Creator. September 1^st is meant to be "a day of thanksgiving for the great gift of creation and of petitions for its preservation and healing". In response to the proposal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate the churches should introduce into the church year a period explicitly devoted to the first article of the Creed, the confession of 'God, the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth. At present the theme "Creator and Creation" has no firm place within the church calendar. The various periods and days of the church year have as their focus the second and third articles of the Creed.
  

• 3. We propose that the period from September 1 to the second Sunday of October be observed as a period of celebration of the Creator and Creation. We have noted with interest that certain churches have already begun to use this period as an occasion to strengthen within the churches the consciousness of their responsibility for creation. We suggest that all churches introduce this period into their calendar.
  

  Such a period of the Creator and Creation can serve as an occasion for a common witness of the churches. With a view to this, we have prepared a file with suggestions which may facilitate a creative use of the period. Click here For further information
  
  
  Back to Loccum Assembly Main Page
  Theological Reflection : A Time for Creation in the Church's Year
  Resolution to the Churches : A Time for Creation in the Church Calendar
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  european christian environmental network Peter Pavlovic  | Conference of European Churches Ecumenical Centre  | Rue Joseph II 174 BE-1000 Brussels  | Belgium tel : 00 32 2 230 1732  | fax : 00 32 2 231 1413 email : ecen@cec-kek.be  | web: www.ecen.org