In his address to the 44th Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) taking place in Rome June 28 – July 4, Pope Leo XIV has warned that the world is drifting ever further from the 2030 target of achieving zero hunger. A goal now imperiled by conflict, injustice, and environmental degradation.
The Holy Father condemned the use of hunger as a weapon of war and denounced political leaders who grow fat on the profits of the food business while civilians perish from hunger.
Beyond condemning the exploitation of the vulnerable, the Pope has emphasized the urgent need to transform global food systems so that they are both resilient and just in the face of mounting climate change. “Food systems have a major influence on climate change, and vice versa,” he stated. “Without decisive and coordinated climate action, it will be impossible to guarantee agricultural and food systems capable of feeding a growing world population. Producing food is not enough: it is also important to ensure that food systems are sustainable and provide healthy and affordable diets for all.” This call to action carries forward the legacy of Pope Francis and his landmark encyclical Laudato Si’.
In a sign of this deepening commitment, Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass for the Care of Creation on July 9, 2025. The private liturgy with the staff of the Borgo Laudato Sì, the educational center at Castel Gandolfo, highlighted the spiritual dimension of ecological responsibility. He called the garden where the mass was held a ´kind of natural cathedral´, with its peaceful, serene natural surroundings standing in contrast to the disasters inflicted by humans. We are all stewards of God’s creation and this must be reflected in our policies, prayers, and daily lives.
To mark this occasion, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments have introduced a new formulary in the Roman Missal dedicated to the Care for Creation. This liturgical offering commemorates both the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ and the 35th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s 1990 World Day of Peace message, “Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation.”
Cardinal Michael Czerny also underscored that care for creation cannot be a peripheral concern, but must be a fundamental expression of Christian living. He warned against approaches to ecological reform that ignore the cry of the poor, stressing that ecological justice cannot be decoupled from social consequences.
The Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) welcomes this commitment and reaffirms its call to care for the creation, particularly through its work on climate justice, in collaboration with many partners such as Ecojesuit and the European Laudato Si« alliance, and the promotion of sustainable food systems within the Our Daily Bread (ODB) network.
Enikö Fehéreková
JESC Ecology Officer
