Leo XIV calls us to care for creation in order to build peace
On the occasion of the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, celebrated on 1 September, Pope Leo XIV invites us to contemplate the gift of life and to care for the earth that sustains it, reminding us that human crises, conflicts and environmental degradation are deeply interconnected.
Inspired by the words of the prophet Isaiah, “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4), the Holy Father proposes transforming what destroys life into instruments capable of protecting it and helping it flourish.
In his message, Leo XIV places particular emphasis on the consequences of war, which extend far beyond the battlefield. In addition to claiming lives, separating families and forcing millions of people to leave their homes, conflicts cause social and ecological destruction whose effects can last for generations. The degradation of ecosystems, pollution of water and air, and food insecurity ultimately generate new situations of poverty, inequality and social tension.
Faced with this reality, the Pope stresses that transforming structures alone is not enough. A personal and collective conversion is also necessary, capable of renewing the human heart and our way of relating to others and to creation.
This transformation is the path towards an authentic ecological conversion, in which peace begins within each person and then extends to our relationships, our communities and society as a whole.
Leo XIV therefore invites us to imagine a world in which the efforts and resources currently devoted to war are instead directed towards integral human development, the fight against poverty, the protection of human dignity and reconciliation.
In the face of weapons and violence, the Holy Father reminds us of the true instruments for building peace: truth, dialogue, patience, goodness, justice, mercy, understanding, care and love.
The words of Leo XIV resonate deeply with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and the thought of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, considered one of the forerunners of the Social Doctrine of the Church. His vision of charity sought to transform society, not limiting itself to alleviating the consequences of poverty, but also seeking its causes and working towards a more just and fraternal society. This approach is fully in harmony with the Social Doctrine of the Church and its defence of human dignity, the common good, solidarity and the integral development of the person.
From this perspective, peace begins in the heart of each person, but necessarily takes on a collective dimension. Personal conversion transforms our relationship with others, with society and with creation, and calls us to place human abilities and efforts at the service of the integral development of people, especially those living in situations of poverty and exclusion.
In this way, the Pope’s call to move “from the desert to the garden, from division to communion, from violence to peace” has a particular resonance for the Vincentian Family: caring for people, working for social justice and protecting our Common Home are inseparable dimensions of the same commitment.