Pope Leo XIV Calls for Ecological Conversion and Global Peace on World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
Pope Leo XIV marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by leading a special Mass at the Laudato Si Village in Castel Gandolfo. During his address, the Pope emphasized the urgent need for an ecological conversion that prioritizes healing the planet and restoring relationships among all creatures. Drawing inspiration from the biblical call to beat swords into ploughshares, he urged the faithful to transform instruments of destruction into tools that sustain life. He further highlighted how war and environmental degradation are deeply interconnected, warning that both contribute to human suffering and global instability. The Pope concluded by encouraging a collective commitment to peace and stewardship as the world enters the five-week Season of Creation.
21 days ago
Pope Leo XIV marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1 with an outdoor Mass at the Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. He called for an “ecological conversion” grounded in prayer, contemplation, care for the poor and a transformation of resources devoted to destruction into efforts that sustain life and advance peace. 1 2 3
The Mass opened the Church’s five-week Season of Creation, which runs through October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. The celebration took place in the Madonnina Garden of the Borgo Laudato Si’, a site established under Pope Francis and associated with his environmental encyclical, Laudato Si’. 1 3
The liturgy was attended by the new leaders of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, including its new prefect, Sister Alessandra Smerilli. Her predecessor, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, was also present. 3
Drawing on the day’s biblical readings, Pope Leo urged people to contemplate the beauty and power of the natural world while allowing that contemplation to lead toward recognition of its Creator. He said that admiring fire, wind, water or the stars without turning one’s attention toward God would be superficial. 1 3
The Pope asked people to pause amid the pace of daily life and put “the many noises generated by human activity” into “silent mode.” In his homily, he described creation as having a “melodious voice” through which God speaks, and presented attentive contemplation as an encounter that can change how people relate to the world. 1 3
He linked this encounter with Christ to an “authentic ecological conversion,” in which faith becomes visible through responsibility toward creation. That responsibility, he said, is both personal and collective and includes repairing relationships among all creatures. 1 3
The Pope’s message for the 11th World Day adopted the biblical theme from Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” He applied the passage both to nations and to individuals, calling on people to “transform harm into life.” 2 3
Pope Leo said it was “not yet too late” to redirect what has been used for destruction toward caring for the poor, feeding the hungry and protecting creation. The Vatican News account presented this as a central appeal of the homily and of the wider Season of Creation. 1
In the written message, Pope Leo connected armed conflict and ecological degradation as related crises affecting a wounded world. He said war kills people, separates families, displaces millions and produces social and environmental damage that can last for generations. 2
According to the message, armed conflict can contaminate air and water, damage ecosystems, undermine food security and intensify poverty, inequality and social tensions. These effects can contribute to further conflict, creating a cycle linking war and environmental destruction. 2
He described war and exploitation of creation as not only political failures but also moral and spiritual failures rooted in distorted desires, the misuse of freedom and power, the pursuit of immediate profit and a loss of respect for human dignity. 2
Pope Leo said that lasting peace and care for creation require more than reforms to external systems. He called for a conversion of the heart involving renewed fidelity to God, love of others, respect for creation and the reordering of human desires through God’s grace. 2
He identified truth, dialogue, patience, goodness, justice, mercy, understanding, care and love as the tools of peace. In his message, he said these qualities can renew communities, heal wounds and redirect the energies invested in war toward human development, poverty reduction, protection of human dignity and reconciliation. 2
The Pope described the task as protecting interconnected “ecosystems” of creation, human relationships and the human heart. He concluded by expressing hope for movement from “desert to garden,” from division to communion and from violence to peace. 2
The Season of Creation will end on October 4, when the Church will mark the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi’s death, described in the articles as his Transitus. Pope Leo recalled Saint Francis’ influence on Laudato Si’ and invited Christians to pray with the saint’s Canticle of the Creatures. 1 3
He urged the faithful to renew their commitment to universal fraternity, presenting that fraternity as inseparable from the responsibility to care for creation. 1 3
Ecological conversion as integral to Catholic peace and creation
Ecological conversion is not an optional environmental interest added to Catholic faith. It is a conversion of the whole person’s relationship with God, other people, and creation, and therefore belongs directly to the Church’s pursuit of peace.
Pope Francis teaches that the ecological crisis reveals an interior crisis:
“The ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion.”
Ecological conversion begins with recognizing sin: wastefulness, indifference, exploitation, unjust consumption, and disregard for those harmed by environmental degradation. It includes repentance and a sincere desire to change, not merely adopting technical solutions or political positions.
This conversion is explicitly Christian because it flows from encounter with Jesus Christ. The authenticity of Christian discipleship becomes visible in how believers relate to the world around them. Protecting God’s creation is therefore part of a virtuous life, not a secondary concern.
Catholic teaching rejects the separation of environmental peace from human peace. The Church speaks of an “ecology of peace” that includes natural, human, and social ecology. Disregard for the environment damages human coexistence, while broken human relationships also harm creation. Both peace with creation and peace among human beings ultimately presuppose peace with God.
This has several implications:
Pope Francis therefore states that peace, justice, and care for creation are inherently connected and cannot properly be treated as isolated questions.
Ecological conversion depends on a proper understanding of creation. The world is God’s loving gift, and human beings are entrusted with responsibility rather than granted unlimited permission to dominate. The natural world possesses an order established by God that humanity has no right simply to ignore.
This does not deny humanity’s distinctive dignity or responsibility. Rather, human superiority means a greater obligation to serve, protect, and cultivate creation. Human dominion becomes morally disordered when it is reduced to exploitation or personal glory.
The biblical vocation to “cultivate and care for” the earth therefore involves:
Ecological conversion is “integral” because it restores several relationships at once. The misuse of creation is connected with distorted relationships among human beings and with God. Pope Francis describes the need to restore relationships with God, oneself, others, and the universe; neglecting one relationship ultimately damages the others.
This prevents two reductions:
Catholic ecological responsibility must hold both together. Care for the earth is authentic only when it includes tenderness, compassion, and concern for human beings, especially those in need.
Catholic ecological action cannot be sustained by ideas alone. Christian spirituality provides the interior motivation necessary for lasting conversion and communal action. The Church’s spiritual tradition connects the life of the spirit with the body, nature, and ordinary social realities.
This spirituality includes:
The resulting change is not merely restrictive. It can produce creativity, generosity, and renewed enthusiasm for solving social and ecological problems.
Ecological conversion should become visible in personal, ecclesial, and public action.
Catholics can examine habits of consumption, waste, energy use, transportation, and food. The purpose is not ecological perfectionism but a disciplined refusal to treat material goods as ends in themselves.
Parishes can practice stewardship through responsible use of buildings and resources, care for local land, education, prayer, and solidarity with people affected by poverty or environmental harm. Such actions should remain connected to worship and conversion rather than becoming merely administrative projects.
Catholic citizens may support policies and economic practices that protect human dignity, the common good, and creation. Social responsibility requires more than private lifestyle changes because ecological harm is also shaped by institutions, markets, laws, and international relationships.
Christians should listen simultaneously to “the cry of the poor” and “the cry of creation.” Attentive listening should lead to concrete care for the earth and for people in need.
Ecological conversion is a movement from domination to stewardship, from indifference to solidarity, and from disordered desire to grateful simplicity. It is integral to Catholic peace because environmental harm, social injustice, and conflict are interconnected. Peace with creation cannot be separated from peace among people, and neither can be separated from reconciliation with God. The Catholic response is therefore a conversion of heart expressed through prayer, moral renewal, responsible habits, communal action, and commitment to the common good.