From 19 to 21 September 2025, the town of Castel Gandolfo will host the Meeting of the Section for the Safeguard of Creation of the CCEE Commission for Social Pastoral Care, on the theme “Laudato si’: Conversion and Commitment.”
The meeting will bring together bishops and national directors responsible for the care of creation from the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe for a time of shared reflection, exchange, and pastoral discernment on the Church’s ecological mission and the call to care for our common home.
Held during the Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October), this gathering also marks the tenth anniversary of the late Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ and makes its own the appeal of Pope Leo XIV, who, in his Message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (2025), writes: “Environmental justice – implicitly proclaimed by the prophets – can no longer be regarded as an abstract concept or a distant goal. It is an urgent need that involves much more than simply protecting the environment. For it is a matter of justice – social, economic and human. For believers it is also a duty born of faith, since the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed”.
The commencement of the meeting will be celebrated with the Byzantine hymn Akathistos, presided over by H.E. Msgr. Bohdan DZYURAKH, Apostolic Exarch for the Ukrainian faithful of the Byzantine Rite in Germany and Scandinavia, and President of the CCEE Commission for Social Pastoral Care. Following the liturgical moment, Sr. Alessandra SMERILLI, FMA, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will deliver an opening greeting, entitled: “A Reflection on the Legacy of Laudato si’”.
The first working session, entitled “Laudato si’: Ten Years of Ecclesial Commitment”, will begin on the second day, following Lauds and Holy Mass pro custodia creationis at the Borgo Laudato si’ Chapel, presided over by H.E. Msgr. Gintaras GRUŠAS, Archbishop of Vilnius and President of the CCEE. The participants will also visit the Borgo Laudato si’ within the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, representing a model of sustainable living and a practical embodiment of integral ecology.
The second working session, entitled “Theology of Creation and Christian Spirituality”, will feature two contributions. Prof. Carmody GREY (Radboud University, The Netherlands) will speak on “Laudato si’: Origins and Prospects”. Prof. Stefan GEIGER, OSB (Pontifical Liturgical Institute, Rome) will explore the theme “The Meaning of Care of Creation for Christian Spirituality”.
The third working session, entitled “Prospects of Ecclesial Commitment”, will take the form of a round table discussion, featuring key organizations engaged in care of creation and the Church’s social mission, including Porticus, ELSiA (European Laudato Si’ Alliance), JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service), Movimento Laudato si’, Caritas Europa, and ECEN (European Christian Environmental Network).