The conference was introduced by Dr. Michael Borchard, Office Manager of the Foundation Konrad Adenauer in Israel. The latter said a word of welcome to all participants, including a large number of seminarists and priests from the Studium Theologicum Salesianum, as well as some Jewish and Moslem figures.
Fr. Biju Michael, Director of the Studium Theologicum Salesiasnum, gave a short presentation on the interest that the Church carries towards environment, especially through the teaching of St Pope John Paul II, which the Church observed that day in its Liturgy.
Immediately thereafter, Rabbi Yonatan Neril, Executive Officer of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, introduced the conference director, Rabbi Michael Melchior. The latter underlined how Jerusalem, “the gate to heaven”, stands for the ideal place for such an event, that religion has a role to play in the “safeguard of environment also for the sake of forthcoming generations”. “World belongs to God, we are just visitors. Whenever we fail to take care of environment, we commit a basic offense against religion”.
According to Msgr Shomali, such a meeting can find its sources in both theory and practice. Practice helps to remind us that environment is in danger; it is the genuine need to protect environment that inspires today’s meeting. For instance, water pollution, especially in Gaza, but also seemingly in the area of Jerusalem, represents a real problem, the Bishop added. Theory – that of the Bible according to Msgr Shomali, the story of the Creation reminds us how God looked at the creation and “saw that it was good” (Genesis 1). The Lord entrusted Man with this creation in order to protect it, but Man has become a risk for the creation.
Later, Imam Wisam Barhum presented the view, which Islam conceives on environment. Islam sees in the Earth the place that embraced the prophets, the emissaries of God and the heavenly messages. God ordered Noah at the time of the Flood, according to Coran, to choose a couple, male and female, out of each creation. Moslem interpreters see in that a reference to the protection of animals and vegetables. Man nevertheless struggles to lay the hands on God’s creation, but ends up destroying it instead of protecting it.
Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, on his part, explained that religion is not confined just to religious rituals, but that is should take interest in world issues” “Religions cannot stay rigid and tied up to old traditions. They should engage in dialogue with modernity. That is important not only to protect environment, but also to protect religion” he further said.
Finally, the audience heard the word of Science through Dr Nurit Hashimy Yaffe, of the Academic College of Tel Aviv Yaffo. She started by listing some problems which environment experiences at present: the weather, the shrinking of agricultural lands, etc. Environment in her view does not concern only man’s health and physical ailments. It concerns as well the social, cultural, economical and political aspects of his entire life. Regarding environmental issues, man is called to make “political choices”. Why ? Because the resources on the Earth we share are limited. Many of them are not renewable (like fuel, for instance). That’s the reason why it is important to take good care of the resources, according to the rules of social justice.
Dr Yaffe concluded that most of the environmental issues are recorded in dominated countries, void of any democracy.
She ended up by underscoring the fact that all men are partners of environment that preserving the planet goes beyond religions and nations. This fellowship may be an occasion to overcome our differences.
Firas Abedrabbo
Source: http://en.lpj.org/2014/10/23/ecology-a-ground-of-common-understanding-among-the-three-monotheistic-religions/
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