Ahead of the 2025 Season of Creation, the leaders of European Churches join their voices to invite Christians to pray for a “garden of peace” through a healthy relationship with creation.
By Devin Watkins
The Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have released a joint statement ahead of the 2025 Season of Creation.
The annual period of prayer for our common home begins on September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and runs until October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
In their statement, European Church leaders recalled the prophet Isaiah’s vision of a “garden of peace,” which points to the theme for this year’s event: “Peace with Creation.”
They also invited Christian communities to embrace a sober life and respect the gifts of creation, while rejecting the exploitation of natural resources and all people.
The statement was signed by Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, CCEE President and Catholic Archbishop of Vilnius, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, CEC President.
The ecumenical leaders said the reference to Isaiah’s vision of peace can lead humanity to return to a way of life rooted in trust and devotion to God.
“Seeking peace with creation is not an abstract ideal but a daily commitment,” they said, adding that it is “a call to live in a way that honours the giver of life.”
Even if our world “can hardly been seen as a garden of peace nowadays,” said the Church leaders, God constantly offers humanity an alternative to catastrophe.
The Season of Creation comes ahead of the UN’s COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil, which is set for November 10-21, 2025.
The joint statement expresses hope that world leaders will prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable, while directing international relations toward the common good.
Christians, they said, are invited to prayer, conversion, and advocacy, so that “our way of living may echo what we believe and confess.”
The theme—“Peace with Creation”—also aligns with the revised Charta Oecumenica, which provides guidelines for strengthening cooperation among Christian Churches in Europe and is due to be signed later this year.
In conclusion, European Churches call on all people to join to protect our common home and promote a just and sustainable future.
