Pope prays for world to recognize urgency of climate crisis as he celebrates Mass’ using new rite

ROME AP Pope Leo XIV prayed Wednesday for the world to recognize the urgency of the setting problem and hear the cry of the poor as he celebrated the first papal Mass using a new set of prayers and readings inspired by Pope Francis environmental legacy The Mass in the gardens of the Vatican s new ecological educational center at the papal summer estate in Castel Gandolfo indicated a strong line of ecological continuity with Francis who made environmental protection a hallmark of his pontificate Wearing flowing green vestments Leo presided at the Mass in front of a statue of the Madonna and at the foot of a reflecting pool immersed in the lush green gardens on an unusually cool summer day He commented the world needed to change its mindset about the planet and what is causing the world to burn We must pray for the conversion of so a large number of people inside and out of the church who still don t recognize the urgency of caring for our common home he noted We see so a great number of natural disasters in the world nearly every day and in so a great number of countries that are in part caused by the excesses of being human with our lifestyle The private Mass was celebrated for about staffers of the Laudato Si center named for Francis environmental encyclical in which the first pope from the Global South blasted the way wealthy countries and multinational corporations had exploited the Earth and its largest part vulnerable people for profit Leo approved the new Mass formula for the care of creation directing it to be added to the list of Masses that have been developed over centuries for a specific need or occasion Officers noted it was crafted in response to requests stemming from Francis encyclical which in its years has inspired a whole church movement and foundation to educate advocate and sensitize the world to the biblically mandated call to care for nature Leo history s first American pope has indicated he intends to further Francis ecological legacy A longtime missionary in Peru Leo experienced firsthand the effects of setting change on vulnerable communities and has already spoken out about the need for situation justice for Indigenous peoples in particular In a message for the church s annual day of prayer for creation Leo blasted the injustice violations of international law and the rights of peoples grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation litter and the loss of biodiversity He made no equivocations about what or who was to blame identifying state change provoked by human activity Leo celebrated the Mass during the first days of his vacation at Castel Gandolfo a hilltop town overlooking Lake Alban in the cool hills south of Rome He arrived on Sunday and will spend an initial two weeks there before returning to the Vatican and then heading back in August He reported those gathered that they were celebrating Mass in what we might call a natural cathedral surrounded by plants flowers and nature He disclosed humanity s mission is the same as Christ s to protect creation and bring peace and reconciliation in the world We hear the cry of the earth we hear the cry of the poor because this cry has reached the heart of God he commented Our indignation is his our work is his In another sign of his environmental commitment Leo has indicated he plans to execute one of Francis majority fundamental ecological legacies The expansion of a -hectare -acre field in northern Rome into a solar farm that would generate enough electricity to meet the Vatican s requirements and thus make Vatican City the world s first carbon-neutral state The growth would require an capital of just under million euros about million leaders say and requirements the approval of the Italian parliament since the territory enjoys extraterritorial status that requirements to be extended Last year Francis tasked a commission of Vatican executives with advancing the Santa Maria di Galeria site which was long the source of debate because of electromagnetic waves emitted by Vatican Radio towers there Leo visited the site in June and called it a wonderful opportunity He recounted RAI state television that the creation of such a farm would set a very key example we are all aware of the effects of setting change and we really need to take care of the whole of creation as Pope Francis has taught so clearly Associated Press religion coverage receives encouragement through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content Source