Pope Leo XIV on September 5 inaugurated the Laudato si’ Village (Borgo Laudato sì) at Castel Gandolfo, describing it as a “seed of hope” and a tangible model for ecological conversion. The project, first envisioned by Pope Francis, brings together spirituality, education, history, nature, art, and sustainable innovation as a living witness of the Church’s commitment to care for creation and for the most vulnerable.
In his reflection on St. Matthew’s Gospel, the Holy Father said each human person has the great responsibility and privilege of respecting the “Creator’s plan.” “Jesus emphasizes the special place reserved, in the creative act, for the human being: the most beautiful creature, made in the image and likeness of God,” Leo said in his short homily.
“The care of creation, therefore, represents a true vocation for every human being, a commitment to be carried out within creation itself, without ever forgetting that we are creatures among creatures, not creators,” he added. Speaking about his predecessor Pope Francis — who initiated the project and the liturgy for the Mass for the Care of Creation — Leo said the village is a “seed of hope” for those committed to fostering humanity’s “ecological conversion” through education and catechesis.
“It is important, as my predecessor wrote, to ‘recover a serene harmony with creation, to reflect on our lifestyle and our ideals, to contemplate the Creator, who lives among us and in all that surrounds us,’” Leo said, quoting Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter.
