By Laudato Voices | August 31, 2025. On September 1, 2025, the Season of Creation began under the theme “Seeds of Peace and Hope”, rooted in Isaiah 32:14–18—a prophetic vision of transforming desolation into flourishing life where justice and peace dwell together.
Peace and creation are deeply intertwined realities. We cannot speak of peace without addressing our care for the Earth. As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, “There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself.” War, violence, resource mismanagement, and environmental degradation are all connected challenges requiring a unified, compassionate response.
This year’s metaphor of the seed carries profound meaning. Seeds symbolize long-term commitment, patient growth, and the quiet power of transformation. As we care for the Earth, so must we nurture young people—the seeds of our shared future. Without sowing hope in them, we risk burning our candles before the bridegroom comes.
The Season of Creation is not only a call to ecological awareness but also to prayer and action. Pope Leo XIV has invited Christians around the world to pray for conditions that foster peace and to act in ways that cultivate genuine hope. “Let every act of care for creation,” he said, “be a whisper of peace to a world too often deafened by conflict.”
This observance is uniquely significant, coinciding with both the Jubilee Year of Hope and the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’. It’s a moment to recommit ourselves to ecological conversion a renewal of our relationship with creation, and a living expression of Gospel hope.
The Inauguration of Borgo Laudato Si: A Living Laboratory of Hope
On September 5, 2025, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated Borgo Laudato Si at Castel Gandolfo, an inspiring new center dedicated to ecology, education, and spirituality. The project embodies the heart of integral ecology, combining cutting-edge environmental innovation with the timeless call of faith.
From solar-powered greenhouses and AI-driven irrigation systems to zero-waste technologies and agroforestry education, the Borgo stands as a beacon for what is possible when spiritual vision meets scientific innovation. As Pope Leo XIV proclaimed during the inauguration, “This Borgo is a seed planted in faith, a living promise that care, knowledge, and prayer can restore creation.”
The Pope led a moving pilgrimage through the site’s gardens, ruins, and green spaces, blessing animals, feeding fish, and warmly engaging with workers and their families. A highlight of the day was the Liturgy of the Word and Rite of Blessing in the net-zero greenhouse, where Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo offered a musical reflection on creation and hope.
As young people, we found the event profoundly inspiring. Borgo Laudato Si models a future we can walk toward—one where faith and sustainability grow hand in hand.
Laudato Youth Initiative: Inspired and Aligned with Borgo Laudato Si
In Uganda, the Laudato Youth Initiative continues to grow through the formation of Laudato Si Clubs, local eco-action, and youth-led advocacy. The inauguration of Borgo Laudato Si powerfully affirms our mission by providing a real-life model of integrated, faith-based sustainability.
Environmental Action: Borgo’s solar power, organic farming, and green mobility reflect the same spirit as our clubs faith in action for ecological justice. As we dream of our own future center for ecological transformation, Borgo serves as both a blueprint and a source of hope.
Vocational Empowerment: With training programs for vulnerable communities, Borgo echoes our own commitment to empowering youth, Indigenous groups, and elders alike offering dignity through meaningful ecological work.
Spiritual-Ecological Formation: Borgo’s sacred atmosphere reinforces the inseparability of prayer and action. At our Laudato Si Green Festival, we too combine faith and creation in a celebration of Christian unity and ecological purpose.
Youth Engagement: Borgo opens doors for internships, partnerships, and field visits. We look forward to engaging with this living classroom of integral ecology and drawing inspiration for our work in Uganda.
In our club activities—from eco-pilgrimages to places like Bethany Lands Institute to sacred ecology liturgies and catechesis—we cultivate a spirituality rooted in the land, in prayer, and in action. We know this journey leads not only to external transformation but to personal and communal conversion.
Looking Ahead with Seeds of Hope
Borgo Laudato Si gives form to Pope Francis’s vision of ecological conversion—one that is grounded in action, inclusivity, and deep spirituality. For the Laudato Youth Initiative, it affirms that we are not alone. We are part of a global movement, building a world where justice, ecology, and faith meet.
Pope Leo XIV’s call echoes in our hearts: “Let us sow seeds not only in soil, but in souls—seeds that will grow into forests of peace, fields of mercy, and gardens of justice.”
With this inspiration, we go forward committed to forming young ecological leaders, building centers of sustainability, and embodying what it means to be custodians of creation in a world that desperately needs it.
As St. Adolf, patron of ecology and herdsmen, teaches us: faithful care for the Earth is sacred labor. We are determined to carry forward Pope Francis’s legacy, walking together toward a just, green, and deeply faith-filled future.
