Norway's Christians to Celebrate World Environment Day

The Church of Norway and the Christian Council of Norway are encouraging member churches to celebrate World Environment Day 2007 on 5 June with special environmentally-focused services and events.

Churches in Norway are being urged to set aside the Sunday before or after 5 June to profile the worldwide event and the key role that Christians have to play in adapting to climate change.

The Church of Norway has distributed a pamphlet to parish offices and member churches of the Christian Council of Norway giving ideas and material that can be used in local celebrations of World Environment Day. It includes special environmentally themed prayers, confessions, blessings, stories and suggestions for Bible texts.

World Environment Day is organised by the UN each year for 5 June to focus international attention on the environment. The international celebrations for World Environment Day 2007 will take place in Tromsoe in Norway to tie in with this year's theme of 'Melting Ice - a Hot Topic?'. A special service will be led in the city by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on 3 June.

The Church of Norway and Christian Council of Norway are encouraging Christians in the country to express "sorrow and recognition of responsibility in the face of environmental challenges" but also recognise "hope and action when faced with the responsibility God has given us towards the creation and towards one another".

The latest push from the Church of Norway is part of a wider effort by the Church to cut down its own carbon emissions and help Norway achieve its goal to become the first "carbon neutral" country in the world by 2050.

Bicycle racks have been fitted outside churches to encourage members to cycle to and from church while indoor thermostats have been turned down.

"In the Bible, man is not the master of nature but its protector. He must use it respectfully," Hans-Juergen Schorre, in charge of social issues for the Church of Norway, told AFP.

The Church's efforts have the full support of Norway's political leaders. "The church has always been involved in social and ethical causes," Norwegian Environment Minister Helen Bjoernoey, who is also a pastor by profession, told the news agency.

"It was very involved in the fight against apartheid and in the fight against poverty. So it's natural for it to be involved in the most important issue of the moment: the climate," she said.