Nature declaration at San Francesco’s town of Assisi

(Part III - The young “San Francesco” the inspiration of Pope Francis)

This is the last of three articles I am writing about San Francesco d’ Assisi. St. Francis would have mankind consider all of nature’s animals, plants, as our brothers and sisters so he used to address them: Sisters Moon and Stars, Brothers Wind, Air and Clouds, Sister Water so useful yet humble — our Mother Earth, which sustains a variety of produce. Five major faiths of the world echo in unison their spiritual bonds with God’s creation.

Prince Philip assembles multi faith leaders in Assisi

At the time of the 25th anniversary of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) International, Prince Philip, who heads WWF, suggested that it would be a good idea to bring all the major faiths together to discuss conservation. He suggested further that it would be a good idea to go on a pilgrimage to Assisi. So it was that in September 1986, thousands of people converged in Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis.

They came as pilgrims from all major faiths and main conservation bodies. They traveled the roads of Umbria with their banners and flags, culminating in their dramatic entrance into Assisi on Sunday, the 28th.

During this time, a unique retreat had been taking place in the convent of St. Francis. Here, for the first time ever, representatives of the five major faiths — Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, met together with conservationists to discuss what each faith had to say on conservation. Each faith boldly stated what its teachings had to say about how we should now live in relationship with nature. From the tower of the Church, the five religious representatives proclaimed their Declarations.

Prince Philip said “I believe that today, in this famous shrine of the saint of ecology, a new and powerful alliance has been forged between the forces of religion and the forces of conservation. Neither can ever be quite the same again.”

Excerpts from the Assisi Declarations on Nature, received from the five major faiths, as follows:

Buddhist declaration on nature

The Venerable Lungrig Namgyal, the abbot of the Guyot Tamtric College in India (the personal representative of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama):

In the words of Buddha Himself: “Because the cause was there, the consequences followed; because the cause is there, the effects will follow.” These few words present the interrelationship between cause (karma) and its effects... happiness and sufferings do not simply come about by chance or irrelevant causes.

Buddhism is a religion of love, understanding and compassion committed towards the ideal of non-violence. As such, it also attaches great importance towards wildlife and the protection of the environment, which every being in this world depends for survival.

In my far away country, I still remember what my parents said. They told us that various spirits and forces are dormant in the rivers, mountains, lakes and trees. Any harm done to them, they said, would result in drought, epidemics and sickness in the human beings and the loss of the fertility of the earth.

Christian declaration on nature

Father Lanfrancho Serrini, Minister General of the Franciscan Order, Frati Minori Conventuali:

The fathers of the Church understood well the marvel of man’s dual citizenship and the responsibility it placed upon him.

Man’s dominion cannot be understood as license to abuse, spoil, squander or destroy what God has made to manifest His glory. That dominion cannot be anything else than a stewardship in symbiosis with all creatures.

Many are the causes of ecological disaster, which mankind faces today. In the name of Christ, Christians repudiate:

1. all forms of human activity — wars, discrimination and destruction of cultures, which do not respect the authentic interests of the human race; and

2. All ill-considered exploitation of nature, which risks destroying it and, in turn, makes man the victim of degradation.

Hindu declaration on nature

His excellency Dr. Karan Singh, President of the Virat Hindu Sanaj:

In the ancient spiritual traditions, man was looked upon as part of nature, liked by indissoluble spiritual and psychological bonds with the elements around him. This is very much marked in the Hindu tradition, probably the oldest living religious tradition in the world.

According to the Vaishnava tradition, man did not spring fully formed to dominate the lesser life forms, but rather evolved out of these forms itself, and is therefore integrally linked to the whole of creation.

This leads necessarily to a reverence for animal life. The Yajurveda lays down that “no person should kill animals helpful to all.” The natural environment also received the close attention of the ancient Hindu scriptures. Forests and groves were considered sacred, and flowering trees received special reverence. The Mahabharata says that “even if there is only one tree full of flowers and fruits in a village, that place becomes worthy of worship and respect.”

What is needed today is to remind ourselves that nature cannot be destroyed without mankind ultimately being destroyed itself.

Muslim declaration on nature

His excellency Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League:

The essence of Islamic teaching is that the entire universe is God’s creation. Allah makes the waters flow upon the earth, upholds the heavens, makes the rainfall and keeps the boundaries between day and night.

For the Muslim, mankind’s role on earth is that of the khalifa, vice-regents or trustees of God. We are God’s stewards and agents on earth. We are not masters of this earth; it does not belong to us to do with it what we wish.

Unity, trusteeship and accountability, that is tawheed, khalifa and akhrah, the trees central concepts of Islam, are also the pillars of the environment ethics of Islam.

They constitute the basic values taught by the Qur’an. It is these values which led Muhamad, the Prophet of Islam, to say: “Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruits is rewarded”, and “the world is green and beautiful and God has appointed you his stewards over it.”

Jewish declaration on nature

Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress:

In the Kabbalistic teaching, as Adam named all of God’s creatures, he helped define their essence. Adam swore to live in harmony with those whom he had named. Thus, at the very beginning of time, man accepted responsibility, before God, for all of creation.

Judaism, of course, knows the doctrine of the world beyond death, but its central concern is with life in this world.

Our ancestor Abraham inherited his passion for nature from Adam. The latter rabbis never forgot it. Some 20 centuries ago, they told the story of the two men who were out on the water in a rowboat. Suddenly, one of them started to saw under his feet. He maintained that it was his right to do whatever he wished to the place which belonged to him. The other answered him that they were in the rowboat together, that hole that he was making would sink both of them.

We have a responsibility to life, to defend it everywhere, not only against our own sins, but also against those of others. We are all “passengers,” together in the same fragile and glorious world. Let us safeguard our rowboat, and let us row it together.

St. Francis’proclamation to the world

To sum the above, multi-faith declarations on nature by Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Jews, St. Francis with St. Claire proclaim to the world not about Lady Poverty in the New Millennium, but the natural wealth of mankind, and the Cosmic World of animals and plants, which help humanity survive. But unless all people understand them, they will fail to protect them as part of God’s creation and gift to mankind.

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