Orthodox Head Slams BP for Environmental Irresponsibility

The head of the Orthodox Christian Church has blasted BP's oil tycoons for the ongoing oil spill disaster, saying that the event reveals a clear failure in the group's responsibility towards the environment.

In a statement released on Sunday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew – the head of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide - said that BP has "clearly failed" its responsibilities for environmental protection, which, according to the patriarch, were assumed in "exchange for the benefits and wealth generated by deep underwater drilling."

"As citizens of God's creation, we perceive this monumental spill of crude oil in the oceans of our planet as a sign of how far we have moved from the purpose of God's creation," Bartholomew wrote, adding that for people to mistreat the natural environment is to" sin against humanity, against all living things, and against our creator God."

"Therefore, we must use every resource at our disposal to contain this disaster," he continued. "But we must also use every resource to determine liability for the fact that 11 people have died and 5,000 barrels of oil are flowing daily into the delicate ecology of the Gulf of Mexico."

Patriarch Bartholomew, known as the "Green Patriarch" for his fervency on environmental issues, visited the Gulf Coast last October for a symposium on protecting the region's waters.

At that time, the patriarch declared that all people have a "sacred responsibility to the future" that grows as our privileges in society grow.

"We are more accountable the higher we stand on the scale of leadership," Bartholomew said. "Our successes or failures, personal and collective, determine the lives of billions. Our decisions, personal and collective, determine the future of the planet."

BP's Deepwater Horizon oilrig caught fire and exploded last month, killing 11 people and opening a leak that has spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

According to BP, the spill, which has plunged the company's stocks by 16 percent, has cost the British conglomerate $350 million so far.

BP had planned to block the leak using a four-story metal dome, but problems with gas buildup coming from the well have stalled that effort.

The company is now considering clogging the leak by shooting a large ball of debris into it.

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