The World Council of Churches (WCC) has launched an invitation to faith communities worldwide to observe a Carbon Fast during Lent.
Running from 18 February (Ash Wednesday) to 1 April (Wednesday of Holy Week), the WCC initiative will provide weekly biblical reflections addressing particular extractive industries which are responsible for our climate’s degradation – oil and gas drilling, mining, overfishing and logging, agro-industrial farming, and deep-sea mining. Each week is led by a regional ecumenical body, connecting local expertise with global solidarity.
The fast draws our attention to the words in the Lord’s prayer, “Give us today our daily bread”. “When we pray ‘Give us today our daily bread’”, says Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC General Secretary, “we are not asking for endless accumulation, but for what sustains life today,”
“This Lenten journey invites churches to examine both our personal choices and the economic structures that deny daily bread to millions while threatening the planet itself”.
Read about the initiative on the WCC’s website here. Read the news story in the Church Times here.