World leader Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Orthodox Christians delivered a joint appeal to delegates at Tuesday’s upcoming climate summit to “listen to the cry of the Earth” and make sacrifices to save the planet.

And, on Tuesday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew – the spiritual head of the Eastern Orthodox Church – issued his first joint statement, calling upon all “choose life” by “probing their conduct” and “meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the earth”

Their declaration reads: ‘We call on everyone, whatever their belief or worldview, to endeavour to listen to the cry of the earth and of people who are poor, examining their behaviour and pledging meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the earth which God has given us.’

The last extreme weather event, natural disasters, floods, fires, droughts, and the rising sea levels have demonstrated that “climate change is not only a future challenge, but an immediate and urgent matter of survival.”

“For the first time the Heads of the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion came together to warn of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its effects on poverty and the importance of global cooperation; Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Justin Welby call on everyone to do their part in making choices concerning the future of the planet,” the pope said in a statement about the urgency of combating climate change.

In November Glasgow will host what many say is the world’s best last chance to mitigate runaway climate change at the 26th annual climate summit known as Cop26.

READ MORE:  Leader calls for immediate bold action on climate change

One effort is “praying for world leaders before Copenhagen.”

Bartholomew’s office did not immediately reply to an e-mail requesting comment on his plans.

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Founded in 1867 in London, (wikipedia)

Pope

The pope , also known as the supreme pontiff , the Roman pontiff or the Sovereign Pontiff , is the bishop of Rome, (wikipedia)

Canterbury

Canterbury , ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. (wikipedia)

Pope Francis

Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 2013. Francis is the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus, the first from the Americas, (wikipedia)