“On this beautiful day, I would first like to invite everyone—beginning with myself—to fully experience what we are celebrating today, in the beauty of what we might call a ‘natural cathedral,’ surrounded by trees, plants, and many elements of creation that have brought us here to celebrate the Eucharist, which means: to give thanks to the Lord.”

With these words, on Wednesday, July 9, Pope Leo XIV opened his homily during the celebration of the first Mass for the Care of Creation, held at Borgo Laudato Si’.

It was a moment of deep prayer and reflection, immersed in the wonder of Creation and inspired by the message of the encyclical Laudato Si’. A special occasion for all those involved in the Laudato Si’ Center for Advanced Formation, who are working on the development of the Borgo Laudato Si’ project, located in the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo: a dream born from an intuition of Pope Francis, now taking shape and life under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.

Read the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s homily and look the photos

ph. vaticannews