MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Orthodox Church stands for the protection of human rights from the power of state, as well as environment protection, the Pan-Orthodox Council participants said in a message Sunday.
"Human rights today are at the center of politics as a response to the social and political crises and upheavals, and seek to protect the citizen from the arbitrary power of the state. The Church never ceases to emphasise that future generations also have a right to the the natural resources that the Creator has given us. For this reason, the Orthodox Church takes an active part in the various international ecological initiatives and has ordained the 1st September as a day of prayer for the protection of the natural environment," the message read.
In addition, the Orthodox Church declared it could become a regular institution to be convened every seven or ten years.
