Pope Leo XIV on Friday afternoon officially inaugurated the Laudato Si’ Village in Castel Gandolfo with a liturgical celebration highlighting the “vocation” of every person to care for creation.
Before celebrating a special Liturgy of the Word in a greenhouse complex, the Holy Father toured the estate in a golf buggy and stopped to greet staff and students collaborating on the environmental project inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’.
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.
“The Laudato Si’ Village, which we inaugurate today, is one of the Church’s initiatives aimed at realizing this ‘vocation to be custodians of God’s handiwork,’” he said.
The ecological complex includes state-of-the-art insulation, photovoltaic, and circular water management systems as well as spaces for educational activities for students.
At the end of the liturgy, Pope Leo blessed the village with holy water and all those present at the liturgy.
Italian singer Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo, who were among the guests invited to the celebration, offered the Holy Father a song to mark the occasion.
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This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
