There is still an acknowledged gap, both at academic and pastoral levels, between Christian theory and practice on the important theological, spiritual and ethical subject of animals and their suffering.With the increasingly obvious crisis of climate change destroying our environments and the animal and plant species within them, each one of us must recognize and fulfil our Christian duty and responsibility to act on behalf of God’s creation. Only then will we advance our journey towards achieving the true Image of an all-loving and compassionate God.Clergy, academics and lay presenters interrogate patristic and contemporary Eastern Orthodox teachings, and present relevant themes of immense importance to both humans and animals, in order to outline an existing but often forgotten tradition, which provides guidance for a more holistic and compassionate treatment of animals than is currently the case.This panel testifies that abuse, exploitation and/or indifference to the suffering of God’s creation is against God’s will and the teachings of the Christian Church. As such these practices have negative soteriological consequences for humanity."Chair:Christina Nellist (Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics)Speakers:Christina Nellist (Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics), Creation Care: Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia’s Teachings on Orthodoxy, Animals, and NatureEkaterini Tsalampouni (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Designing a Green Curriculum of Orthodox theology: A Modest ProposalNikolaos Asproulis (Volos Academy of Theological Studies), Animals, animality and the human being: An Addendum (or correction?) to Christian AnthropologySimon Nellist (Archdiocese of Great Britain and Thyateira), The Mission Fields of Compassionate Activism