Accessibility Tools

Skip to main content

Stewards of the Planet: Faith Reflections from the Chicago Climate March

October 3, 2019

The climate march in Chicago on September 20th was organized as part of the worldwide youth climate strike that mobilized 4 million youth and their allies around the world. In Chicago, thousands marched from Grant Park to Federal Plaza in a unified show of support.
The Parliament spoke with religious and spiritual leaders at the march. Their messages, though couched in different teachings and theologies, reflect an alignment in worldview, and a sense that we must all be good stewards of the planet.
Sisters of St Joseph – “We intuitively know that all of creation is sacred. In keeping with Catholic teachings, we see everything as connected. You can’t be for justice unless it’s for all people. This is the sacred communion.”
Catholic Friars – “We can look around and see that there is a grave problem with the world right now that we are primarily responsible for, and that we have to address for ourselves, and for future generations, and for all of God’s creatures.”
Unitarian Universalist – “We have seven principles and one is the interconnected web of all life, of which we are a part. We make this most real by our connections with stewardship here on planet Earth.”
EcoSikh – “Our guiding text starts with the numeral one and a symbol for all that is, so it is all one. And if any part of that is hurting, we are all hurting. So if we are not engaged in the process, we are a part of the problem.”
The interfaith movement continues to play a pivotal role in climate action. The Parliament recognizes the enormous courage and dedication of youth climate activists around the world. We stand in solidarity with them.
Enjoy images from the strike below!