08/06/2017
Writing in The Times newspaper, signatories headed by Bishop Nicholas, the Church of England's lead bishop on the environment, say that caring for the planet is a 'sacred responsibility' and the demand to act for environmental justice 'too strong' for them to remain silent over the issue.
Other signatories include the Bishop of Salford, John Arnold, spokesman on the environment for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi, Masorti Judaism, and Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
The letter has been published after the US President announced last week that he would withdraw from the historic 2015 global agreement to fight climate change.
In the letter, the faith leaders write: "Our respective faiths unite us in the affirmation that all human life is of infinite value and that caring for our planet is a sacred responsibility. We are answerable to God, each other and our children's children for the wellbeing of this earth.
"We believe President Trump's reckless declaration will only strengthen the resolve of others to preserve and protect our environment. The response of so many municipal and business leaders across the US is a heartening indication. We trust our own newly elected government will remain faithful to its commitments.
Life is too precious, the earth too wonderful and the demand to act for environmental justice too strong for us to remain silent."