"Climate justice is a theological imperative"
Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli shares the sermon she preached at a WCC ecumenical prayer service ahead of COP29
November 13, 2024
The World Council of Churches invited Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli to preach at an ecumenical prayer service held on Monday to mark the beginning of the UN Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. The President has generously offered her sermon to be shared, in which she urges "a deep and humble transformation, a turning back to God’s vision for creation."
"When we talk about climate justice, we are not merely asking for reduced emissions or stricter regulations," she said. "We are calling for a transformation of values—a movement from exploitation to care, from indifference to love."
"Climate justice is a theological imperative that demands we address the inequities that place the heaviest burdens on the poorest and most vulnerable. It is the island nations of the Pacific, who contribute the least to climate change, who suffer the most from rising sea levels, cyclones, and the loss of ancestral lands (UNFCCC, 2024)."
"In Isaiah 58:6, God declares that His chosen fast is 'to loose the chains of injustice.' Climate injustice, in which those least responsible bear the greatest cost, is a form of bondage we must confront with the full force of our faith, compassion, and action."
"The call for transformation challenges us not just to “change” our ways but to embrace a radical reorientation, turning our hearts and lives back toward the Creator and His creation."
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