Pope Leo XIV at Mass for Creation: ‘Only a Contemplative Gaze Can Heal Ecological Crisis’
By Augustine Orapine
CASTEL GANDOLFO — Pope Leo XIV has urged Christians to embrace a “contemplative gaze” toward creation as a necessary step in addressing the ongoing ecological crisis, warning that environmental degradation is often rooted in human excess and sin.
The Pope made the call on Tuesday as he celebrated the first-ever Mass for the Care of Creation, a newly approved formulary in the Roman Missal, at the Laudato Si’ Village in Castel Gandolfo. The Mass, attended by staff of the educational center located in the Papal summer residence, marked a significant liturgical moment in the Church’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
In unscripted remarks at the beginning of his homily, Pope Leo said the celebration was taking place in “a kind of ‘natural’ cathedral,” surrounded by the beauty of nature.
He reflected on the symbolic layout of the Laudato Si’ Village, pointing to the altar and a nearby water basin, which, he said, is reminiscent of early Christian churches where the baptismal font was positioned at the entrance to signify purification and new life.
Turning attention to the destructive impact of human actions on the environment, the Pope lamented that many natural disasters affecting the world today are “often caused—at least in part—by human excess and our way of life.”
He continued, “We must also pray for the conversion of many people, both inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home.”
Reading from the prepared text of his homily, the Pope contrasted the peaceful setting of the Laudato Si’ Village with the harsh realities of global warming and armed conflicts that plague the planet.
“Yet, at the heart of the Jubilee we confess: there is hope!” he declared. “We have encountered it in Jesus, the Savior of the world. He still, sovereignly, calms the storm.”
Drawing from the Gospel story of Jesus calming the storm at sea, Pope Leo said the parables of the Kingdom of God often mirror the rhythms of nature and life.
In rebuking the wind and waves, “Jesus reveals His power of life and salvation, which towers over those forces before which creatures are lost,” the Pope said.
He emphasized that the Christian mission of creation care is deeply rooted in divine mandate.
“We hear the cry of the earth and of the poor,” Pope Leo said, “for that cry has reached the heart of God. Our indignation is His indignation; our work is His work.”
The Church, he said, must serve as a prophetic voice, speaking truth to power.
“The Church is called… to turn evil into good, injustice into justice, and greed into communion,” he added, because it “bears witness to the indestructible covenant between Creator and creatures.”
Quoting St. Francis of Assisi, whom he praised for his deep love for all creation, Pope Leo XIV stressed that restoring our relationship with nature begins with inner renewal.
“Only a contemplative gaze can change our relationship with created things and lead us out of the ecological crisis caused by the rupture of relationships—with God, with our neighbor, and with the earth—resulting from sin,” he said.
The Pope noted that his predecessor, Pope Francis, envisioned the Laudato Si’ Village as “a laboratory” for living in harmony with creation and innovating new approaches to environmental care.
Concluding his homily, Pope Leo drew inspiration from St. Augustine:
“O Lord, your works praise you so that we may love you, and we love you so that your works may praise you.”
The Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
