Modern ecological challenges that concern society are also important for the Church, as our faithful are a part of this society. The Church, relying on Christian ecological teaching, believes that responsible and honest decisions regarding the development of various types of energy  – and the arrangement of the plans for the construction of wind turbines on the Polonyna Borzhava in particular – should be made on the basis of a broad civil consensus based on proper scientific studies.

The Church is not expected to offer technical solutions for this matter, but based on substantial evidence, offers to create ethical criteria which will encourage responsible environmental decision-making.

Addressing environmental and energy issues should be based primarily on true solidarity inspired by values such as love, justice and general well-being. It is therefore important for the Church to show that every ecological and ethical action must rely on belief in Creation, and that the energy issue is a matter of justice, especially for future generations.

We emphasize the great importance of not only the material, aesthetic, scientific and recreational values of the Borzhava mountain range – one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in our Carpathians -, but also its spiritual and religious values. Therefore, it is extremely important to make decisions guided by the universal principles that all that is done should be done for the glory of God, for the benefit of humanity and all of God’s Creation – Nature. Since the Creator has given us the Creation – Nature for our responsible and careful use, we must pay due attention to natural harmony in our environment and act accordingly.

Today, it depends on all of us, whether we will preserve the unique landscape of Borzhava, gifted to us by our Creator, in its primeval beauty for future generations, or whether we will give the grief-investors the opportunity to do with the Borzhava everything they planned, using the immaturity of a civil society, the imbalance of legal mechanisms, and the lack of a firm belief in our Savior.

We appeal to our pastors in a special way to acquaint the faithful with the text of our appeal within their parish communities and to promote the dissemination of this information on protection of the Polonyna Borzhava from the construction of wind farms.

We want to assure everyone that the seeds sown by us to encourage responsible behavior towards this  part of God’s Creation – the Borzhavsky Mountain Range – and its preservation in its original form, will grow into good deeds in the future, and give us hope for the opportunity to change our whole life and the surrounding reality.

Bishop MILAN
Bishop of Mukachevo,
Chairman of the Committee on Ecology of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese

Bishop Antal MAINEK
Ordinary of the Mukachevo diocese,
Chairman of the Commission on Ecology and Migration of the Roman Catholic Conference of Bishops of Ukraine