Leo XIV: the death and resurrection of Jesus are the foundation of integral ecology
If we are not “the custodian of the garden,” we become its “destroyer”, the pope said in his Jubilee catechesis in St Peter's Square. He described the contemplative life, as a “silent, fruitful, and irreplaceable apostolate”. The second World Children's Day is scheduled for September 2026; a young boy from Gaza presented the logo to the pontiff. Last night in Castel Gandolfo, he called for a “ceasefire and then dialogue” in Ukraine.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Pope continued his series of Jubilee catecheses during the Wednesday general audience centred on the theme of "Jesus Christ, Our Hope," with a meditation entitled "The Resurrection of Christ and the Challenges of Today's World. Easter Spirituality and Integral Ecology."
The pontiff delivered his address to thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square enveloped in a sunny but cool autumn air, with the Christmas nativity scene under construction, near the Vatican Obelisk.
“May the Spirit give us the ability to listen to the voice of those who have no voice. We will see, then, what the eyes do not yet see: that garden, or Paradise,” the pontiff said.
John the Evangelist draws our attention to the “garden” where we can see “a detail that we do not find in the other Gospels”. The episode narrated in chapter 20 reports that Mary Magdalene, weeping near the empty tomb, mistakes the risen Jesus for “the gardener”.
“Thus, in the peace of the Sabbath and the beauty of a garden,” we observe “the dramatic struggle between darkness and light that began with the betrayal, arrest, abandonment, condemnation, humiliation and killing of the Son,” said the pope.
That garden represents "the original task" accomplished by Jesus at the end of his life, suggesting that we cultivate and care for it. So, Magdalene "wasn't entirely mistaken, believing she had encountered the gardener,” he added.
Leo XIV cited Pope Francis, who, in his encyclical Laudato Si', “showed us the extreme need for a contemplative gaze: if he is not the custodian of the garden, the human being becomes its destroyer.”
In this sense, “Christian hope” meets the challenges humanity faces by standing in the same garden “where the Crucified One was laid as a seed, to rise again and bear much fruit”.
“[T]he death and resurrection of Jesus are the foundation of a spirituality of integral ecology, outside of which the words of faith have no hold on reality and the words of science remain outside the heart,” the pope said.
Citing Laudato Si’, Leo stressed that an “ecological culture” cannot be reduced to “urgent and partial” measures with respect to the serious problems of “decay and the depletion of natural resources,” as well as “pollution.”
This calls for “a distinctive way of looking at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance,” Pope Francis wrote.
Pope Leo XIV noted that Christians cannot separate “ecological conversion” from the “reversal of course that Jesus asks of them.”
“[O]nly by conversion after conversion do we pass through that vale of tears to the new Jerusalem. This passage, which begins in the heart and is spiritual, changes history, engages us publicly, and activates solidarity that now protects people and creatures”
Hence, it is possible to “meet millions of young people and other men and women of good will who have heard the cry of the poor and the earth, letting it touch their hearts.”
“There are also many people who desire, through a more direct relationship with creation, a new harmony that will lead them beyond so many divisions.”
In his greetings to Italian-speaking pilgrims, Leo mentioned Pro Orantibus Day, a moment of fraternity for those who live in prayer, which the Italian Church will celebrate on 21 November.
“Let there be no shortage [. . .] of concrete solidarity and effective help from the ecclesial community to ensure their survival and the continuity of their silent, fruitful, and irreplaceable apostolate,” he said.
The pope also announced the second edition of World Children's Day, set to be held in Rome from 25 to 27 September 2026. At the end of today's audience, a 7-year-old boy from Gaza presented the pope with the official logo.
Speaking about the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, celebrated next Sunday, the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, which precedes the season of Advent, Leo addressed young people. “Place Jesus at the centre of your life,” he told them.
To those living with illnesses, he said: “May Christ, who made the cross a royal throne, teach you, dear sick people, to understand the redemptive value of suffering experienced in union with Him.”
Turning to newlyweds, who were represented in the square as usual, he invited them “to place Jesus at the center of your marital journey.”
Yesterday evening, answering reporters' questions at Castel Gandolfo, at the end of the weekly day off, Leo said, speaking about Ukraine: “Unfortunately, people are dying every day. I believe we must insist on peace, beginning with a ceasefire and then dialogue.”
Commenting on the massacres in Nigeria of Christians and Muslims, he called on peoples and governments to “promote authentic religious freedom.”
Regarding his upcoming journeys, the first to Turkey and Lebanon on 27 November- 2 December, the pope stressed that after the Jubilee, plans will be made for visits to other parts of the world, such as Latin America, which “of course” includes Peru, where he served as a bishop.
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05/09/2025 20:30
24/09/2025 16:23
