ECUMENISM
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has sharply criticised the government of the USA for shirking its environmental responsibilities and also rebuked that of the UK for failing to meet its objective of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010. During an interview with the “Today” programme on BBC’s Radio 4, Williams declared that the environment is at the top of his priorities. “If we don’t want the global economy to collapse and billions of people to die, we must change our attitude”, declared the Anglican Primate, “and the Church must not consider this problem in the abstract, but intervene in a concrete manner to solve it”. “I don’t think it is compatible with Christian ethics to ignore the environmental deterioration we are having to face – he added -. Almost a quarter of carbon emissions are attributable to the USA and the leadership of this country was very slow to intervene”. According to the British Catholic weekly “The Tablet”, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales will soon issue a statement on the environment. During a study day in 2004, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales were briefed by an expert on climate change, Sir John Houghton, and recently David Ryall, chairman of the committee for international justice and peace of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, met Claire Foster, adviser to Rowan Williams on environmental issues.
