“It is the minute before midnight for humanity to go forward together towards a sustainable and resilient future that promises to heal people and our planet. For that, we need to enhance the abundance of our best ideas and through faith to succeed in the decisive race to global net zero and to a culture of solidarity.” Bartholomew, Orthodox Christian Patriarch of Constantinople, made this plea in September, 2021 at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Bologna. He has repeated his prophetic, demanding call for action often, earning him an unofficial title as the “Green Pope”; he serves as an inspiration among the many religious leaders who are at the forefront of worldwide efforts to goad more effective responses, public and private, to our threatened planet.
Last week, the patriarch was honored with the 2025 Templeton Prize, one of the world’s largest annual individual prizes. The award honored his long, creative work centered on “humanity’s shared and sacred responsibility to care for the earth.” The prize citation focuses on his “pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, bringing together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation.”
The award is a heartening recognition of a remarkable person, a courageous, persistent advocate and teacher. Since he was elected patriarch in 1991, Bartholomew made care for the Earth a focal point of his tenure. He speaks often and with deep reflection on his analysis and call to solidarity; his initiatives have included collaboration with many leaders, religious and secular (with, for example, shared journeys in environmentally threatened regions). His leadership inspires what Templeton terms “a movement of spiritually informed environmentalism” that has shaped global discussions on climate change, biodiversity, and ecological justice. Like Pope Francis (in the 2015 Encyclical Laudato Si’ and 2023 Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum), Bartholomew frames the issues within the moral language of faith, presenting environmental destruction as a sin against nature, with arguments bolstered by scientific evidence. He returns constantly to the themes of cooperation, dialogue, and solidarity: churches and all faith communities have serious obligations to be involved in the care of creation.
Patriarch Bartholomew has been a stalwart leader within interfaith efforts, that include notably the G20 Interfaith Forum. His visit to Georgetown University in October 2021 likewise highlighted his thoughtful and passionate focus on interfaith cooperation, on climate as well as human development. He championed “honesty and truth-telling” in confronting the past (focusing specifically on legacies of slavery) and speaking up about current environmental justice and responsibility.
Patriarch Bartholomew’s leadership reflects a clarion call to draw both on intellectual, scientific knowledge and on the shared commitment of religious communities to those who are most vulnerable. His 2021 Bologna speech highlights his call to “the abundance of our best ideas”, linking science and religion (with many echoes of Pope Francis). The urgency of his call is echoed as he notes that every time we pray, we are reminding ourselves what needs to be done, as humankind faces a “battle for survival.” He returns often to the links between environment challenges and the welfare of those who are most vulnerable. At the December 2022 G20 Interfaith Forum in Abu Dhabi he linked climate migrants and refugees to his call for action on environment: “Climate crises and migration both reflect the excruciating human suffering in which we discern the compassionate presence of the living God whose image and dignity are being violated.” He called for a spirit of care and compassion for the entire world striving for a sustainable future.
Patriarch Bartholomew’s invitation to combine “intuitive thought and fervent devotion to protect and preserve the integrity of the Lord’s earthly creations for present and future generations” stands as a remarkable feature of his calls to prayer and action. The Templeton Prize is a wonderful recognition of his persistent, courageous, and creative leadership and a call to action to all of us.
