“We must pray for the conversion of so many people, both inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home,” said Leo XIV while celebrating Mass in the gardens of the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo on July 9, 2025.
Using for the first time the new “Mass for the Care of Creation,” presented at the Vatican on July 3, the Pontiff described “a world on fire, due to global warming, but also armed conflicts.”
The Pope celebrated the Mass in front of about 50 employees of Borgo Laudato si', an organization established by his predecessor Francis to develop ecological projects in the gardens of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo.
The ceremony took place in the beauty of nature, with the altar located in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary facing a small pond.
In his partially improvised homily, the Pope maintained that a “conversion” is necessary to face the disruption of nature's cycles.
He stressed how “the message of Pope Francis, in his encyclicals Laudato si' and Fratelli tutti,” is “more relevant than ever."
The Pontiff, who was particularly confronted with the effects of climate change during his years of mission in Peru, noted that natural disasters now occur “almost every day in so many places and countries.”
These, he said, “are also partly caused by human excesses and lifestyles.”
“We can really see ourselves in the Gospel we have heard, observing the fear of the disciples in the storm, a fear that is shared by much of humanity,” the Pope commented.
He emphasized how, in the chosen passage from the Bible, Jesus "still calms the storm. His power does not disrupt, but creates; he does not destroy, but gives life, new life."
Overcoming fears
Recounting Jesus' experiences with his disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the Pope noted that ”the parables with which he announced the Kingdom of God reveal a deep connection with this land, these waters, the rhythm of the seasons and the life of creatures."
Leo XIV emphasized that in storms, whether real or symbolic, recognizing Jesus as “the head of the body, of the Church” must enable us to stay the course by bringing “peace and reconciliation” to a wounded and fragile world.
“We listen to the cry of the earth, we listen to the cry of the poor, for this cry has reached the heart of God. Our indignation is his, our work is his,” the Pope insisted.
Calling on Psalm 29, which evokes the power of the voice of the Lord that rules the waters and makes thunder roar, the Pope said that “this voice commits the Church to be prophetic, even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive rule of the powerful of this world.”
New prayers
Pope Leo celebrated Mass with new prayers on this July 9.
The Mass for the Care of Creation consists of a new set of antiphons, prayers, and recommended readings added into the Roman Missal.
This liturgy, inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si', was presented at the Vatican on July 3.
The new Mass formula joins the 49 Masses and prayers contained in the Missal “for various needs and occasions.” It will be inserted in the section entitled “Civil Needs,” which already includes 17 Masses. These include Masses in times of war, for the sanctification of human labor, after the harvest, for refugees and exiles, in time of earthquake, and even "for rain."
