His All-Holiness also emphasized the fundamental link between environmental and social issues, explaining: “We further express our satisfaction that people have definitively understood the immediate connection between ecological and social issues, and especially the fact that the destruction of the natural environment primarily affects the poor among us. The combination of ecological and social activities constitutes the hope for our future because we can only have sustainable development and progress when we are simultaneously concerned about the integrity of creation and the protection of human dignity and human rights.”

In line with these concerns, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew continues to bear witness to the crucial importance of efforts to preserve and protect the environment. One recent example was His All-Holiness’ Dec. 2024 meeting with Maria Kozyraki, Secretary of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, at the Phanar, in order to discuss environmental issues in Crete. During this meeting, Secretary Kozyraki demonstrated her commitment to this all-important issue by presenting the Ecumenical Patriarch with the proclamation of a protected landscape in Crete.

Orthodox Times reported that Secretary Kozyraki “presented the declaration of the natural site ‘Saint Kyriaki-Caves-Metamorphosis-Kastellos’ as a protected landscape. This declaration, issued in collaboration with the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Chrysopigi in Chania, aims to establish conditions and restrictions to ensure the protection and conservation of the area’s natural beauty and biodiversity. A Special Documentation Study detailing these measures was delivered to the Patriarch.”