Ecological destruction is 'sacrilegious' says Ecumenical Patriarch

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I, leader of the world's Orthodox Christians as their spiritual leader, has called the destruction of the environment a "sacrilegious and sinful" act.

"The ecological crisis, and particularly the reality of climate change, constitutes the greatest threat for every form of life in our world," Bartholomeos said in a statement issued to mark World Environment Day on 5 June.

Here is the statement in full.