The Rev. Fletcher Harper, a priest of this diocese who is executive director of GreenFaith, is quoted in this article.
[The Living Church] For faith-based environmental activists, Pope Francis’s visit to the United States had a major effect even before he set foot on American soil. Now they hope his trip’s influence on their cause will reverberate long after he’s gone.
Just knowing Francis would be in town was enough to launch a series of high-profile events in Washington, D.C., linking faith, moral responsibility, and care for Earth.
As Francis travels the Eastern seaboard, he’ll have a series of colossal stages, including Madison Square Garden and the United Nations, for addressing environmental concerns.
“We know that a big part of his message is going to be about climate change,” said the Rev. Fletcher Harper, executive director of GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental coalition. “What we decided to do in order to amplify that message even further, was to organize a multifaith rally and celebration in support of his message.”
The event — part rally, part worship — will take place about one block from the United Nations on the eve of the pope’s Sept. 25 speech to the U.N.’s General Assembly. The event is expected to draw participants from the Episcopal dioceses of New York and Newark and will include prayer, chanting, singing, and ritual.
“Volunteers in different faith communities around the world are going to be holding short prayer vigils on the same evening as an act of solidarity,” Harper said. “These types of things matter in terms of civil society.”
