On Earth As In Heaven: Ecological Vision and Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

3. Nature and Cosmos: Beauty and Harmony of Creation

3 Nature and Cosmos Beauty and Harmony of Creation Award Ceremony Honorary Doctorate, City University, London, May ,  environment and city We are deeply grateful for the honor bestowed on us today, an honor that we accept not on behalf of one individual, but on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the entire Holy Orthodox Church in whose rich vineyard we are privileged to labor. We may toil in this vineyard, we may plant seeds here, we may harvest its fruits, but it is God’s vineyard, they are God’s seeds, and it is God’s fruit. All glory, then, is due to Him. The company within which we are receiving it increases the joy we feel in accepting this degree. For we are in the presence of His Royal Highness , Prince Philip, of our brother in Christ, the Archbishop of Canterbury , of the Lord Bishop of London, of the Lord Mayor of London, and, of course, of the administration, faculty, and students of this extraordinary university, which serves and enriches London, the largest city in Europe. We warmly thank His Lordship the Bishop of Stepney for his most kind and generous introduction. Our joy is even further multiplied because this honorary degree is being conferred upon us on the momentous occasion of the centenary of City University. One hundred years is indeed a landmark achievement worthy of praise and recognition. We are deeply touched that you have chosen to include us in these celebrations. To you, 145 146 兩 Beauty and Harmony of Creation the esteemed administration, the faculty, and beloved students, we extend our heartfelt congratulations and paternal prayers that God, the Giver of Light, may continue to illumine your hearts and minds as you increase in knowledge and wisdom. May God bless you with yet another centenary celebration. The ancient Greeks believed that human beings could rise to their full potential only within the context of a city. This great university and its talented students are evidence of that ancient wisdom. Nevertheless, increasingly these days, we witness another, darker aspect of life in our cities. We observe children without clothing, food, or shelter; we see people without jobs; we hear of brothers killing brothers; we recognize broken families, broken lives, and broken dreams. Therefore, we ask ourselves: why? What went wrong? How can this be? Our first instinct is to doubt that wisdom of the ancients. However, our better instinct is in fact to believe it even more. For, if we truly believe that cities offer great opportunities, we will be driven to discover why it is that so many people are not finding those opportunities. What is missing? What is lacking? The answer, we believe, lies in faith, not in knowledge or wealth or political action. It lies simply in faith. Knowledge expands the mind, but faith can open the heart. Wealth builds houses, but faith can move mountains . Politics does the possible, but faith can do the impossible. Western civilization has brought about the greatest of human achievements —from medical miracles to people on the moon, from stable democracies to the high standards of living. Yet, these have come with a price, and that price is most evident on the streets of our cities. Politicians and professors alone cannot heal the problems of Western society, be they pornography, pollution, drugs, poverty, crime, war, or homelessness. Religious leaders have a central and inspirational role to play in raising the spiritual principles of love, tolerance, morality and renewal to the fore. This is why we consider this degree such a special honor. For, a secular university is bestowing it on a spiritual institution, thus demonstrating that one is not antithetical to the other. Indeed, more than this, it brings our two worlds—of academia and ecclesia—closer together, and for this we are truly grateful to God. We are convinced that our mission today—namely, that of bringing the healing power of the Holy Spirit to all the children of God—is more vital than ever. The spirituality of the Church offers a different sort of Beauty and Harmony of Creation 兩 147 fulfillment than that which is offered by the secularism of modern life. Here, too, there is no antithesis. secular humanism and society The failure of anthropocentric ideologies has left a void in many people’s lives. The frantic pursuit of the future has sacrificed the inner peace of the past. We need...