Assisi Gathering Marks Turning Point in Global Creation Care Movement
This past May, I was honored to be invited to speak in Assisi, Italy. Here is my reflection on the conference for Good Faith Media.
Assisi Gathering Marks Turning Point in Global Creation Care Movement
The world is a beautiful place. We have towering trees that offer shade, soft grass to rest our heads, and birds that fill the air with songs of praise. God, in divine wisdom and creativity, has crafted a world that flourishes naturally by providing food, shelter and balance for all living things to thrive and multiply.
Yet this picture of beauty has begun to fade. As we pursue lives driven by greed and overconsumption, we are slowly destroying the very world that sustains us. The Earth, once vibrant and life-giving, now bears the wounds of our carelessness and selfishness.
God created this Earth in divine harmony, sustaining every living thing with what it needs to flourish. It is a sacred gift, meant not only for survival but for awe, gratitude and joy. But something has gone terribly wrong.
With the rise of the Industrial Revolution and the insatiable digging for oil, we have chosen a path of exploitation rather than stewardship and creation care. Climate change, driven by our greed and unsustainable habits, is tearing apart the very fabric of creation. The flourishing world we inherited is now gasping for breath as it tries to stay alive with a sustainable future.
As Christians, we cannot remain idle in the face of this devastation. Creation care is not a political issue but a theological imperative and priority. We are called to reflect deeply on how our faith guides our responsibility to the Earth.
The question is not just scientific or economic; it is also spiritual. Will we continue down this road of destruction, or will we choose the harder, holier path toward renewal?
This past May, approximately 200 denominational leaders, delegates, professors, bishops, priests and ministers gathered in Assisi, Italy—the sacred city of St. Francis—to discuss the future of Creation Day and mark the Nicaea Centenary. This historic gathering reflected a shared recognition that no single denomination can bear the weight of turning the global church toward ecological renewal and sustainability. The work of reorienting the church’s heart toward creation care must be done ecumenically.
The journey formally began in March 2024 in Assisi, where spiritual leaders met to discuss the future of Creation Day, celebrated annually on Sept. 1. Once a modest observance, Creation Day has evolved in recent decades into a more recognized celebration, often referred to by some denominations as the “Feast of Creation” or the “World Day of Prayer for Creation.” The movement to elevate this day as a liturgical feast in Western denominations is now gaining momentum.
This reflects not just a calendar or liturgical shift, but a theological one. It is a call to reimagine our liturgies, practices and public witness around the stewardship of God’s creation—and to reimagine God in the Anthropocene.
Rooted in prayer, scripture and a shared hope for planetary healing, the church is being called to lead not just with words, but with action. A growing movement supported by both Western denominations and the Eastern Orthodox Church is working to establish Creation Day as a full liturgical feast.
Liturgies and liturgical feasts matter. They help us recognize the significance of events in the life of Christ and the life of the church. Liturgies are not just rituals; they are words—and words shape our thoughts, beliefs and behaviors.
That is why choosing the right words and prayers, both in church and at home, is so important. Words form us and, in turn, transform us. To implement a “Feast of Creation” is to call attention—liturgically and theologically—to the sacred responsibility of caring for God’s creation, something often neglected in both society and the church.
Creation hymns, prayers and liturgies will help us highlight the urgency of sustainability and the fight for climate justice. Christians must lead the way in this urgent matter. As co-creators with God, we need to fight climate injustice.
All injustices intersect. If we fight racial injustice, we are also fighting gender and climate injustice.
If the church can acknowledge the damage done and commit to healing, we may yet change course. By honoring creation through worship and intentional liturgical practices, we realign our theology with God’s call to stewardship, sustainability and hope.
We need an ecumenical effort to fight one of the greatest social injustices of our time. It was deeply significant that the meeting was held in Assisi, a place whose very spirit invites us into reverence for creation.
Some participants visited the Basilica of St. Francis and the Hermitage of the Carceri, where Francis once sought solitude. St. Francis is remembered for his deep love of nature and his commitment to simplicity and poverty. His care for all of God’s creatures earned him the title Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment.
Thus, this gathering in Assisi was a pivotal moment—not just symbolically, but prophetically. It signaled a renewed push for the church to formally adopt a Feast of Creation.
Yet this is only one step forward. We must continue the work in our churches, faith communities and homes. This is a long journey requiring each of us to prioritize climate justice—not just for ourselves, but for the sake of future generations.
By honoring creation through worship and intentional liturgical practices, we realign our theology with God’s call to stewardship, sustainability and hope.
Let us listen to the cries of creation and respond with prayer, repentance and action. May we teach, preach and live in ways that honor the Creator by protecting the creation.
Let us remember that creation is not ours to exploit, but a sacred trust to honor. May we open our eyes and hearts to the damage we have caused and choose instead to live lives of harmony, gratitude and care for the Earth that God has given us.
** For futher discussion on climate change, please pre-order my book, Earthbound: God at the Intersection of Climate and Justice (Orbis Books).
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