ByRaju Hasmukh
September 2, 2026
Pope Leo XIV (Credit Vatican Media)
Pope Leo XIV calls for ecological conversion, urging Christians to care for creation, aid the poor, and transform destruction into life.
News Room (September 2, 2026, Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians worldwide to embrace an “authentic ecological conversion,” urging believers to renew their commitment to caring for creation, supporting the poor, and restoring harmony within the natural world.
Speaking during a Mass for the Care of Creation in the Garden of the Madonnina del Borgo Laudato Si’, located within the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by reflecting on humanity’s relationship with the environment and its Creator. His homily also inaugurated the annual Season of Creation, a five-week period dedicated to prayer, reflection, and action for the protection of the Earth.
Drawing from the liturgical readings, Pope Leo emphasized that creation itself serves as a pathway to God. Referencing the Book of Wisdom, he encouraged the faithful to move beyond simple admiration of nature’s beauty and power and instead recognize the Creator behind it.
He noted that natural phenomena such as fire, wind, flowing water, and the stars evoke wonder, but their deepest significance lies in pointing humanity toward God. Likewise, he highlighted Psalm 18, which proclaims that the heavens and the firmament reveal the glory and handiwork of the Creator.
The Pope also reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which speaks of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He said these examples reveal not only the beauty of creation but also God’s special concern for humanity. If God provides for plants and animals with such care, he explained, believers can trust in the divine attention given to human needs.
Set amid the natural surroundings of Castel Gandolfo’s gardens, the celebration underscored the Pope’s invitation to contemplation. He encouraged people to step back from the pace and noise of modern life in order to experience the harmony of creation more deeply.
According to Pope Leo, this practice of contemplation is not simply an appreciation of nature but the first step toward a profound spiritual transformation. He described it as an “authentic ecological conversion,” in which an encounter with Jesus Christ becomes evident in the way individuals relate to the world around them.
Pope Leo XIV calls for ecological conversion, urging Christians to care for creation, aid the poor, and transform destruction into life.
News Room (September 2, 2026, Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians worldwide to embrace an “authentic ecological conversion,” urging believers to renew their commitment to caring for creation, supporting the poor, and restoring harmony within the natural world.
Speaking during a Mass for the Care of Creation in the Garden of the Madonnina del Borgo Laudato Si’, located within the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by reflecting on humanity’s relationship with the environment and its Creator. His homily also inaugurated the annual Season of Creation, a five-week period dedicated to prayer, reflection, and action for the protection of the Earth.
Drawing from the liturgical readings, Pope Leo emphasized that creation itself serves as a pathway to God. Referencing the Book of Wisdom, he encouraged the faithful to move beyond simple admiration of nature’s beauty and power and instead recognize the Creator behind it.
He noted that natural phenomena such as fire, wind, flowing water, and the stars evoke wonder, but their deepest significance lies in pointing humanity toward God. Likewise, he highlighted Psalm 18, which proclaims that the heavens and the firmament reveal the glory and handiwork of the Creator.
The Pope also reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which speaks of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He said these examples reveal not only the beauty of creation but also God’s special concern for humanity. If God provides for plants and animals with such care, he explained, believers can trust in the divine attention given to human needs.
Set amid the natural surroundings of Castel Gandolfo’s gardens, the celebration underscored the Pope’s invitation to contemplation. He encouraged people to step back from the pace and noise of modern life in order to experience the harmony of creation more deeply.
According to Pope Leo, this practice of contemplation is not simply an appreciation of nature but the first step toward a profound spiritual transformation. He described it as an “authentic ecological conversion,” in which an encounter with Jesus Christ becomes evident in the way individuals relate to the world around them.
Such conversion, he explained, leads to a renewed awareness of humanity’s place within God’s plan and a deeper recognition of the responsibility shared by all people to preserve the original harmony of creation. Acknowledging humanity’s failures and shortcomings, he said, should inspire a renewed commitment to repairing relationships among all creatures according to the Creator’s will.
Central to the Pope’s message was a call to action rooted in hope. Echoing his World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation message, he invoked the biblical image from the Book of Isaiah of beating “swords into ploughshares,” presenting it as a model for transforming instruments of destruction into tools that sustain life.
“It is not yet too late,” the Pope declared, emphasizing that the Season of Creation offers an opportunity for profound conversion. Resources and energies once directed toward harm, he said, can be redirected toward life-giving purposes, including care for the poor, feeding the hungry, and safeguarding creation.
The Season of Creation, which began on September 1, will conclude on October 4. This year’s observance carries additional significance as the Church prepares to mark the eighth centenary of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, commemorating the saint’s passing and spiritual legacy.
Pope Leo linked the season’s themes to the enduring influence of Saint Francis, whose vision inspired Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’ and the creation of the Borgo Laudato Si’ initiative that hosted the celebration.
Concluding his homily, the Pope invited the faithful to unite spiritually with the saint known as the “Poverello of Assisi” and to embrace the spirit of his famous Canticle of the Creatures. The prayer’s celebration of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Wind, Sister Water, Brother Fire, and Sister Mother Earth, he said, remains a powerful expression of gratitude for creation and respect for the interconnectedness of all life.
Pope Leo closed with an appeal for universal fraternity, describing it as inseparable from the responsibility to care for creation. As the Season of Creation begins, his message presents ecological stewardship not merely as an environmental concern but as a spiritual and moral calling rooted in faith, contemplation, and solidarity with both the Earth and the most vulnerable members of society.
Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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