Praying for our planet: Religious leaders hold vigil as COP26 starts

Religious leaders gathered in George Square, Glasgow for a prayer vigil as  COP26, the crucial UN climate summit opened Sunday.

The unique prayer and meditation vigil brought together people of all backgrounds in the public square in Glasgow and, via a livestream from around the world, in a powerful, symbolic act of unity and solidarity for our planet.

“The future of our planet hangs in the balance,” said the vigil organizers, Interfaith Glasgow and Interfaith Scotland. “Interfaith Scotland and Interfaith Glasgow, with the Scottish Religious Leaders Forum, invite you – at this critical moment - to join people of all religions and none in expressing your love for life on earth and the shared hope that COP26 will commit leaders to the actions necessary to save it!”

Senior religious leaders read the ‘Glasgow Multi-Faith Declaration for COP26’, setting out the shared climate commitments of religious leaders across the UK, and lead prayers from a great diversity of religious traditions.

Organizers invited, “All participants to pray or hold in their thoughts the COP26 negotiators: that they may have the courage and wisdom to work together and to make the commitments necessary to safeguard the future of humanity and all life on our planet.”

At the Vatican Sunday, Pope Francis urged the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square, "Let us pray so that the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor" is heard by summit participants.

Climate activists are calling for action from the 200 world leaders who are kicking off two weeks of intense diplomatic negotiations aimed at speeding up the global response to global warming.