(RNS) — Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the Borgo Laudato Si’, a 135-acre space near the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo that Pope Francis dedicated to enacting principles described in his 2015 encyclical focused on the environment, “Laudato Si'” (Blessed Be).
In a homily on Friday (Sept. 5), Leo called the project “a seed of hope that Pope Francis has left us as a legacy,” which “will endure by remaining faithful to its mandate: to be a tangible model of thought, structure and action, capable of fostering ecological conversion through education and catechesis.”
The Borgo Laudato Si’ will offer educational programs for students and professionals who want to learn more about the Catholic theology of care for the environment, events and seminars with CEOs of major corporations. An aim is to produce zero waste as part of the land’s focus on sustainability.
“In a time marked by environmental crises, conflicts and inequality, the Borgo means to prove, in a small way, that it’s possible to create a different future based on the care for creation and of all the human family,” said Cardinal Fabio Baggio, general director of the Borgo, in his opening remarks. “The inauguration of the Borgo wants to send a message of hope: Ecological conversion is possible, and it’s born from the encounter between faith, responsibility and hope.”
The Borgo Laudato Si’ relied on investments by third parties who fit certain criteria for climate awareness and protection.
The Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education will provide courses and learning opportunities, prioritizing learners who have been excluded and marginalized in society. The land will also produce milk, olive oil, wine, honey and aromatic herbs for teas and oils that will be sold to support the educational initiatives.
Before performing the liturgy, Leo stopped to greet family of 15 staff members of the Borgo, and walked beneath its holm oaks and through its many gardens. Being driven around the property on an electric golf cart, he paused briefly to feed koi fish in the pond of the Little Madonna Garden, where his predecessors would sit and pray and where he celebrated the first Mass for Creation on July 9. Later, he petted an Andalusian white horse, a breed he would ride in Peru, and a day-old calf.
The pope then arrived at the sanctuary, a new complex powered by photovoltaic systems that includes classrooms, conference halls and a greenhouse. A choir greeted him as he entered the greenhouse for the liturgy, including the famous Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli and his son, Matteo.
Bocelli told RNS that singing for the pope is “a bit harder than for all other situations that may arise because in case some have forgotten, the pope represents Jesus on Earth.”
“So, I mean, to sing in front of the one who represents who gave me the gift of my voice is a privilege and a significant responsibility,” he said.
Bocelli will sing in front of the pope again on Sept. 13, for the World Meeting on Human Fraternity at the Vatican.
In his homily, Leo spoke about how often nature and creation are described by Jesus in the Gospels, and the pope said nature’s order points to God’s divine plan. Among God’s creatures, he said, human beings stand out not only as the “most beautiful creature,” but also as having the responsibility to safeguard all other creatures.
“The care of creation, then, represents a true vocation for every human being — a task to be carried out within creation itself, never forgetting that we are creatures among creatures, and not creators,” the pope said in his homily.
Leo praised the interdisciplinary aspirations of the Borgo, that technology, education and nature can “coexist in harmony,” which “cannot fail to speak to us of God.”
Leo spent several weeks in the Borgo Laudato Si’ gardens, which house the Barberini Palace that the pope chose as his summer residence. Residents and tourists gathered at the entrances to the papal estate to greet the pontiff with cheers and applause.