Archbishop of Athens: Long-term strategy needed to prevent fires
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"It’s clear to us that we need to change the type of forest we have. For example, pine trees are uncontrollable in a fire, so we need to change and implement a long-term strategy."
In an interview with Vatican News about the fires in Greece, Archbishop Theodoros Kontidis, S.J., of Athens, addressed the tragedy and explored how to better safeguard the environment and prevent their onset.
In the conversation following Pope Francis' recent appeal offering closeness to the suffering population, Archbishop Kontidis observed how our own changing of habits, and solidarity with one another, are critical, especially as the phenomenon worsens amid rising global temperatures.
Investigators suspect a faulty power cable may have caused Greece's worst wildfire this year, according to Reuters, quoting sources close to a probe over the blaze that killed one woman and torched 10,000 hectares near Athens, covering a total area about the size of Paris. The blaze, which began on August 11, broke out from a forest off Varnavas town, 35 kilometers from the capital.
Wildfires have been a common feature of Greek summers for years, with many attributed to voluntary or involuntary arson, short-circuits or occasionally, to natural causes.
In 2023, the country registered more than 8,000 forest fires. In recent years, the risk of such fires has been raised by climate change, which has brought hotter weather and less rain.
This year, Greece had its warmest winter on record this year and was on track for its hottest summer with scant rain in many areas, which, according to firefighters, amounts to "a recipe for fire disasters."
Q: Archbishop Kontidis, the world has seen the terrible images of the horrifying fires that have ravaged Greece. As the Archbishop of Athens, can you tell us what is the current situation?
These recent fires lasted for two or three days, but they were very intense and close to Athens, in the Attica region, near the large city, creating a massive problem and provoking a significant loss of forest near Athens, an important loss. Despite its briefness, the fire was very violent and spread very quickly, causing significant natural damage, in a challenging city like Athens.
This represents a real problem, as this year we can see that temperatures are higher, creating difficulties for all of us residents. Because there are technical and sensitivity issues, I’m not sure what needs to be done to address this.
Q: The Holy Father made a passionate appeal for the suffering of your people. Many people were evacuated and lost their homes.
Homes were destroyed, even if not too many. There have been other, more serious fires in recent years, with many deaths. This time, there was one death.
But certainly, if someone loses their home, and has nowhere to go in the evening, they have to go to designated shelters but without a home. This is a life-changing disaster. We do what we can, but it’s always painful for the victims.
It could have been much worse if the fire had continued for a few more days, but it’s practically impossible to control a fire when there is drought and wind. The only thing to do is prevention. But once a fire starts, very little can be done.
Q: Pope Francis insists on safeguarding Creation. You have mentioned the need to prevent fires, even though it is difficult. How can we effectively encourage people to protect Creation? Specifically, regarding fires, what can be done to prevent them?
There is always a need for people to be cautious, because in summer conditions, any small flame can start a fire anywhere. But there are always negligent people, and there are always arsonists who intentionally start fires.
It’s clear to us that we need to change the type of forest we have. For example, pine trees are uncontrollable in a fire, so we need to change and implement a long-term strategy to ensure we don’t only have forests of this type but different types where, for example, trees can be replaced.
This is a big project; it is not a simple thing to do. In these cases and in other similar situations, our Caritas provides help and intervention, but we understand that this is still too little and comes afterward. This is one of the difficulties we have in the modern world, especially in large cities like Athens, which has 4 million inhabitants, in a country as small as Greece.
Q: In Europe, we are seeing always-higher temperatures. The Pope has dedicated a 2015 Encyclical and a more recent subsequent Apostolic Exhortation to this environment, emphasizing the urgency required to combat the climate change situation. Do you think people are taking this seriously? Should they be more concrete in responding to the Pope’s message?
It’s clear that we need a greater awareness of these issues, not only out of respect for nature but also out of respect for people’s lives. This is so important because we all understand that in one day, the life of a family can be destroyed. So, it’s a serious matter of social life and family life.
Sensitivity, attention, and responsibility, both personal and social responsibility, are so important. Sometimes, we are so careless, not thinking about what we do and the consequences of our actions.
For example, having a barbecue outside the house, etc, what starts as a simple party, a friendly gathering, can turn into a disaster in a matter of minutes. We need to change our habits, become more responsible after seeing everything that is happening.
Q: Is there something that the people who have lost so much need at this time? Is there something those from outside can concretely do to help?
The immediate needs are handled by the local authorities, but the problem for someone who has lost their home doesn’t end with the immediate needs over the first few days, because this loss is very significant and affects the entire life of the person and of the family for many years.
Q: Would you like to offer a word of comfort to your people?
What can I say in these cases? Not to get discouraged, not to despair, but to have hope and faith in human solidarity, which is so important in these situations, so that no one feels abandoned or alone. The presence of others, neighbors, and family is very important.
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