“Besides spreading the message of the Encyclical, it is now more important than ever to return to the heart. In Scripture, the heart is not only the center of feelings and emotions, but the locus of freedom. (…) The heart is the place where external reality has the greatest impact, where the deepest searching takes place, where the most authentic desires are discovered, where one’s ultimate identity is found, and where decisions are formed. It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place”.
Thus spoke Pope Leo XIV at the Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo on October 1, 2025, taking part in the opening ceremony of the international conference “Raising Hope for Climate Justice”, organized by the Laudato si' Movement in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Caritas Internationalis, CIDSE, UISG, the Focolare Movement, and the Ecclesial Networks Alliance.
The event was promoted for the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical, with the aim of reflecting on the impact of Laudato si' and giving rise to a global spiritual response to the climate and ecological crisis.
Looking to the future, the Holy Father stated that “We must shift from collecting data to caring; and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles. For believers, this conversion is in fact no different to the one that orients us towards the living God. We cannot (..) call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without participating in his outlook on creation and his care for all that is fragile and wounded.”
Pope Leo XIV then encouraged everyone to contribute to the “cultural, spiritual, and educational challenges” of Laudato si'.
The event brings together religious, scientific, and political leaders, including Cardinal Jaime Spengler, Archbishop of Porto Alegre, President of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil and President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM); the Archbishop of Suva, Mons. Peter Loy Chong, head of the Catholic Church of Fiji and the former President of the Federation of the Catholic Episcopal Conferences of Oceania; Tomás Insua and Lorna Gold, respectively, cofounder and Executive Director of the Laudato si’ Movement; Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement; Prof. Martín Guzmán, Economist and former Minister of the Economy of Argentina; the Honourable Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of the Federative Republic of Brazil; the Honourable Maina Talia, Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change and Environment for Tuvalu and member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network. There will also be representatives of international agencies, indigenous leaders, economists, experts on climate and biodiversity and representatives of civil society.
The opening day also saw the participation of Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who, at the press conference presenting the event on September 30, observed: "In this decade, Laudato si' has generated a truly global and ramified movement. Many particular Churches have supported processes of ecological conversion in dioceses, parishes, schools, and Catholic universities. Initiatives such as the Laudato Si' Action Platform have involved families, religious communities, educational institutions, and businesses in moving toward more sustainable and supportive lifestyles. The Laudato Si' Village project in Castel Gandolfo—which Pope Francis was particularly fond of—inaugurated by Pope Leo XIV on September 5, is a place where faith, ecology, and culture intertwine harmoniously, a laboratory for the future."
The Borgo Laudato si' is one of the places that conference participants will have the opportunity to visit: the walk from the Mariapolis Center to the Papal Villas that house the Borgo will be followed by a moment of prayer and reflection in which people of different faiths will take part. Among those welcoming the participants is Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Executive Director of the Laudato Si' Center for Advanced Studies, which is based in the village.
The Conference will feature keynote speeches, round tables, spiritual moments, cultural events, and testimonials that aim to highlight both the progress made since the promulgation of Laudato Si' and the urgent steps to be taken in view of COP30, which will be held in Brazil from November 10 to 21, 2025.
The event is open to the public by invitation only.
Here is the program.
