Pope Leo XIV presided over the first Mass dedicated to the care of creation at Castel Gandolfo, in the newly established Borgo Laudato Si’. This Eucharistic celebration marked a liturgical innovation with the introduction of a new set of prayers, soon to be included in the Roman Missal alongside the existing 50 Masses and prayers for various needs. 

The Pope emphasized that the celebration aimed to exalt the beauty of creation, and that there was no better place to do so than in the garden he described as “a natural cathedral.” 

In his homily, the Pontiff recalled the urgency of the message at the heart of Laudato Si’, urging renewed commitment to environmental responsibility and care for our common home:

“At the beginning of the Mass, we prayed for conversion—our own conversion—and I would like to add: we must also pray for the conversion of the many, both inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home.” 

The Holy Father offered a few unscripted words to thank the team responsible for the Laudato Si’ Center. Among them was Manuel Dorantes, a Mexican priest who serves as the administrative director:

“I would also like to thank all of you, here and now, for everything you do to carry forward the beautiful inspiration of Pope Francis, who created this small corner—these gardens, these spaces—precisely to continue the vital mission that has become so clear in the ten years since Laudato Si’: the urgent need to care for creation, our common home.” 

This center is dedicated to formation in integral ecology, inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. Its mission is to offer a tangible experience of the encyclical’s principles—bringing them to life through projects focused on circular economy, environmental sustainability, and vocational training.

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Adapted by Jacob Stein