Photos by Julian Meehan. From left to right: Dean Andreas Loewe, Chair of the Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors Rabbi Allison Conyer, Rev Andrea Mayes and Islamic Council of Victoria Vice President Mohamed Mohidee.
On Tuesday 17 September, The Very Reverend Andreas Loewe unveiled a new billboard outside the Cathedral calling for an end to fossil fuels. This billboard forms part of a nationwide climate action week by multi-faith group Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC). As part of the unveiling, St Paul’s Cathedral held an interfaith service of blessing and prayer, where leaders from Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths prayed for a cleaner and more sustainable future.
More than 150 places of worship around the country unveiled similar billboards and banners during this week of climate action, urgently calling on the Prime Minister and Opposition leader to divest from fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy. As Christians, we believe that protecting God’s Creation is of utmost importance, and this duty should not be seen as a partisan political issue. If we want to protect our precious Earth for generations to come, the time to act is now.
In an interview with ABC radio, Dean Andreas Loewe said:
‘We are saying as people of faith: this is something that our faith dictates us to do. We are given the Earth as a gift from God – we are responsible, I believe, to God for its safeguarding.’
Click here to listen to the full interview.