THE ECUMENICAL SEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES WITH JUSTICE, PEACE AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION

Abstract

The environmental movement, especially since the 1970s, has drawn the world's attention to the Earth's cry for help. The international ecumenical movement, especially represented by the World Council of Churches (WCC), was fundamental in this period in the construction of the concepts of sustainability and sustainable communities, in the context of the articulations of the United Nations (UN) regarding the responsibility of governments and public and private agents for the environment. The present article, based on an exploratory-descriptive methodology, aims to recover the memory of this participation and the pioneering spirit it carries, and to emphasize the importance of Christian engagement in efforts to care for the planet in the face of serious environmental degradation. For this, bibliographical and documentary research was used, with emphasis on documents from the WCC that deal with ecological challenges, especially those focused on the concepts of sustainability and sustainable communities.

KEYWORDS: Ecumenical Movement. World Council of Churches. Sustainability. Sustainable Communities. Environment.