Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis, and a simpler lifestyle

Recently Pope Francis spoke on economic systems. Because Eastern Orthodoxy is so much smaller than Roman Catholicism, the news media has missed that the Ecumenical Patriarch, BARTHOLOMEW, has recently posted some similar sounding sentiments. In November of 2013 he said:

At first glance, it may appear strange for the leader of a religious institution concerned with “sacred” values to be so profoundly involved in “worldly” issues. After all, what does preserving the planet have to do with saving the soul? It is commonly assumed that global climate change and the exploitation of our nature’s resources are matters that primarily concern politicians, scientists and technocrats. At best, perhaps they are considered the preoccupation of interest groups, naturalists or activists.

Nevertheless, there are no two ways of looking at either the world or God. There is no distinction between concern for human welfare and concern for ecological preservation. The way we relate to nature as creation directly reflects the way we believe in God as Creator of all things. The sensitivity with which we handle the natural environment clearly mirrors the sacredness that we reserve for the divine. …

To restore the planet we need a spiritual worldview, which brings frugality and simplicity, humility and respect. We must constantly be aware of the impact of our actions on all of creation. We must direct our focus away from what we want to what the planet needs. We must choose to care for creation; otherwise, we do not really care about anything at all.

After the statements of Pope Francis concerning the economy, political conservatives around the world went into overdrive. Some tried to reinterpret what Pope Francis said as being merely some non-binding pastoral advice. In the case of commentators such as Rush Limbaugh, the word Marxist was quite publicly used to denounce Pope Francis. Both Rush Limbaugh and various English political conservatives tried to paint the Pope as either naïve or non-spiritual. After all, the Pope could not possibly be correct.

But, for those of us who are Orthodox, now the Ecumenical Patriarch has spoken out concerning ecological matters and human welfare. He has drawn the distinction between being concerned for human welfare and being concerned for the environment. More than that, he has directly said that how we relate to human welfare and to ecological issues “directly reflects the way we believe in God as Creator of all things.” Inevitably, various Orthodox writers will argue that the Orthodox have no centralized authority and that, therefore, we need not listen to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Because there has been a Great Split, we also need not listen to the Latin Pope as well, according to those same people. Nevertheless, at the source of this attitude is an inappropriate desire to say that “I” am the sole source capable of judging Scripture or Holy Tradition. It is, in fact, a very Protestant attitude that seeks to find justification in a legalistic interpretation of any and all canons relating to Patriarchs and bishops. If “I” can show that fill-in-the-blank is wrong, then I can disregard and disobey fill-in-the-blank.

And yet, here we have both the East and the West, both Patriarch and Pope, saying that economy and ecology matter, that how we treat people and how we treat the environment speaks to whether we really believe the full Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Advent, I recommend that you read the various statements of both Patriarchs and Popes regarding the economy and the ecology. You will be surprised at the concordance between the two. Your choice will be whether to carry out this concordance or not. You can always find excuses to not do so. But, this Advent will you submit to Patriarch and Pope and begin to change your viewpoints on economy and ecology? If you will not, will you be willing to acknowledge that you are stepping outside of Orthodoxy (or Roman Catholicism) into Protestant country? And, if you do that, will you be willing to take the step of leaving the communions and choosing some Protestant sect, or will you begin to insist that you have a “prophetic” voice that must be heard by the Church over and above any statement made by Patriarch or Pope? I suggest that you evaluate carefully, your soul’s health may depend on your answer.