Adventists Join Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, and Non-Christian Faiths to Confront Environmental Crimes, Strengthen Environmental Authorities, and Combat Climate Change

The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI) is an international, multi-faith alliance that works to combat climate change, end tropical deforestation, and unify the churches on environmentalism. One of the principal figureheads of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative is Bishop Gunnar Stålsett, former General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. Bishop Gunnar Stålsett serves as a Special Advisor for the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative and represents the IRI at various international conferences to promote their initiatives.

On March 8, 2019, Bishop Gunnar Stålsett met with Pope Francis in an official capacity while representing the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative. He traveled to the Vatican in response to the Pope's appeal for religious leaders to work towards ecological development and to combat climate change. Bishop Gunnar Stålsett was seeking Rome's blessings for the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative. The IRI is a climate change advocacy group that is not just working to fulfill the Pope's vision of Laudato Si, but they are actually working in partnership with the Vatican to answer their call. In this meeting, Bishop Gunnar Stålsett stated:

• "I am honored to be at the Vatican representing all the partners to the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative."
• "The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative is inextricably linked to the compelling vision that has been put forth by Pope Francis in Laudato Si."
• "From its inception, this initiative has taken its inspiration and theory of change from Laudato Si's call to action."
• "We look forward to collaborating with the Vatican."

In June 2019, Bishop Gunnar Stålsett, Special Advisor for the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, traveled to Tokyo, Japan to meet with 200 prominent religious leaders from around the world during the G20 Interfaith Forum to promote his mission. Bishop Gunnar Stålsett, the Pope's climate change ambassador, sat next to Ganoune Diop, Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. With so many different religious leaders present at this conference, why is Ganoune Diop sitting next to this Laudato Si' agitator?

Is this all just one big coincidence? Not at all, because Ganoune Diop, once again, was seen in another photo standing next to the Pope's climate change representative. However, these images represent much more than just a Seventh-day Adventist leader having his picture taken several times with Rome's Laudato Si' ambassador. The situation is much worse. Seventh-day Adventists are "members" of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative. Our people are "part" of this Laudato Si'-inspired, Vatican-approved mission. We are members of this group of climate activists that is committed to spreading the Pope's climate change encyclical to religious leaders around the world.

The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative is currently operating in five different rainforest climate zones located in Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Adventist church's membership in the IRI was revealed by Laura Vargas, the IRI's national coordinator in Peru. And who are the members?

• Catholic Church
• National Evangelical Council of Peru - CONEP
• Union of Evangelical Christian Churches of Peru - UNICEP
• Lutheran Church of Peru,
• Anglican Church of Peru
• Methodist Church of Peru
• Presbyterian Church of Peru
• Orthodox Church of Peru (Patriarchate of Antioch)
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
• Seventh-day Adventist Church
• The Jewish community
• The Islamic community
• The Buddhist community in its two branches: Tibetan Buddhism and Soto Zen Buddhism
• The Bahai Faith
• The Brahma Kumaris Spiritual University, which, although it is not a religion, is a spirituality with Hindu roots

And what is part of the mission of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative? Again, IRI's Laura Vargas revealed the following:

• Promote the climate agenda in the country
• Confront crimes in the Amazon, especially illegal mining, drug trafficking, species trafficking and illegal logging. Environmental crimes are sheltered under mafias that corrupt officials, degrade the forest, health and threaten the life of the people and nature. It is urgent to face this problem to ensure the right of people to a healthy and sustainable environment.
• Strengthen environmental and cultural authorities

Our true mission and message are being forgotten as a result of all of this. These new proposals would establish new offenses that would punish people who endanger the environment. The churches are rushing to accept the Pope's message. A new morality is being taught. There will be no more talk about sins against God's moral law. It's all about the new crimes against the environment. And what is the new solution? As soon as we accept Laudato Si', the new message claims, all of the world's issues will be solved. We will have genuine and enduring peace in our world once the Pope's encyclical is made into law. Considering that Laudato Si' #237 encourages Sunday rest and the need to uphold Sunday sacredness, how can Seventh-day Adventists participate in any of this?

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This release was published on openPR.