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WCC was represented by Rev. Dr Benjamin Simon, director of the WCC Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation and dean of the Ecumenical Institute, Dr Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant on care for creation, sustainability, and climate justice; and Bossey student Max Weber.
Simon delivered a reflection titled "A Plea for an Ecological Reform of Christianity and the Signs of Planetary Urgency as an Imperative for Theological Ethics.” In his introductory remarks, Simon said, “it is necessary for Christian theology to position itself clearly in times of ecological crisis and bring about a change of mentality through its theological ethics.”
Andrianos focused on the shift from anthropocentrism to oikocentrism in addressing ecological crises with his presentation, "Steering Human Greed from Anthropocentrism to Oikocentrism: How to Do Justice and Walk Humbly with Biodiversity."
Weber shared insights from his master’s thesis on economic and ecological justice, presenting "Economy of Life and Degrowth Movement – Two Sides of the Same Coin?"
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Rev. Dr Benjamin Simon, academic dean of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey and WCC director for Ecumenical Formation; Dr Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant on care for creation, sustainability, and climate justice opening panel titled "Ecumenical Ecotheology, Eco-Ethics, and Eco-Interreligious Shift Paradigms.
A highlight of the WCC's involvement was an open panel titled "Ecumenical Ecotheology, Eco-Ethics, and Eco-Interreligious Shift Paradigms." The panel attracted significant interest from eco-theologians, scientists, and scholars, fostering deep dialogue and ecumenical reflection on the triple ecological crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
The EUARE-ECOTHEE 2024 follows the biannual International Conference on Ecological Theology and Environmental Ethics (ECOTHEE 22), organized under the auspices of the WCC and His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in October 2022 at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. The next conference, the 8th Annual European Academy of Religion, will take place in Vienna, Austria.
"The European Academy of Religion conference provides a unique platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and interreligious solidarity," said Andrianos. "We are committed to continuing our contribution to promoting peace and justice for all Creation."
