The Power of Memory: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Chornobyl tragedy
Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch issued a special message on occesion of the 30th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster. The catastrophic nuclear accident occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Prypyat, then located in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.
"We must forever remember. We must recall the names of all those, known and unknown, who lost their lives as a result of our actions, just as we must retain vivid in our heart and mind the tragic consequences of our failures. Memory is a powerful attribute in religion, and particularly in Christianity where it becomes a transformative force. It is the way in which we relate to the past, change our attitude and conduct in the present, and assume responsibility for the future", read the statement.
Known for his strong ecological teaching Patriarch Bartholomew stresses on the responsiblity towards creation. "...we have reached a point in our global civilization where we must learn to say “Yes!” to another reality beyond ourselves, to the Creator of all creation, before whom we should kneel in humility and surrender in prayer, recognizing that he and everything he created is for all, not just our own selfish desires. Perhaps the greatest lesson and recollection from Chernobyl is that we must share the world with all people. What we do in the world and for the world affects people’s lives—their health (with the inestimable number of cancer victims), their nourishment (with the inconceivable contamination of food), as well as future generations (whether with the insufferable birth defects and the indiscernible impact on our children).
