CWN - Pope Francis announced on August 30, at his regular weekly public audience, that he would be joining with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in a statement for the annual Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
The annual observance will take place on September 1. The Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople has observed the day since 1989. Pope Francis joined in 2015, celebrating a Liturgy of the Word in the Vatican basilica for the first annual observance.
In this year’s joint message, the Pope told his audience, “we invite all to assume a respectful and responsible attitude toward Creation.” He added that the statement would appeal to the world’s wealthy and powerful people “to listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, who suffer most from ecological imbalances.”