Vatican City: In a significant step toward deepening the Church's ecological spirituality, Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the first-ever Mass for the Care of Creation on July 9, 2025. This special liturgy, newly introduced into the Roman Missal, reflects a growing global and ecclesial commitment to environmental stewardship and integral ecology.
The new formulary, jointly prepared by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, was officially unveiled during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office. This Mass will be offered privately by the Holy Father in Castel Gandolfo, during his summer retreat with staff and collaborators from the “Borgo Laudato Sì”, an educational and ecological outreach initiative named after Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Human Development, described the new liturgical text as a “spiritual and communal offering” to foster responsible care for our planet. “The Church,” he emphasized, “invites the faithful not only to ecological action, but to pray, reflect, and worship in a way that honors creation as a sacred gift.”
This special Mass joins the 17 existing Masses for civil needs in the Roman Missal and comes through an official decree issued on June 8, with Pope Leo XIV’s approval. The decision coincides with the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ and the 35th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s peace message titled “Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All Creation.”
Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, Secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, clarified that this is not a Mass about abstract environmentalism, but a call to integral ecology—an ecological vision inseparable from justice, spirituality, and human dignity. He emphasized that the liturgy embodies the central theological themes of Laudato Si’, correcting any tendency to treat creation care as a purely secular or sentimental cause.
“This Mass,” said Archbishop Viola, “helps ground our concern for nature within the Christian mystery. It places the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor at the heart of our prayer.”
The readings selected for this Mass are deeply rooted in Scripture’s vision of creation as a reflection of divine glory. The Old Testament passage from Wisdom 13:1-9 encourages recognition of God through the beauty of nature. Psalms 18 and 103 proclaim the cosmos as a living hymn to the Creator. From the New Testament, Colossians 1:15-20 affirms Christ as the image through whom all things were made, while two selections from the Gospel of Matthew (6:24–34 and 8:23–27) call attention to God’s providence in the natural world and Christ’s authority over creation.
The prayers within the Mass express a yearning for harmony between humanity and nature, urging the faithful to live with reverence and humility: “While we await new heavens and a new earth, let us learn to live in harmony with all creatures.”
Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV’s recent message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (July 2), Cardinal Czerny stressed that caring for the environment is not optional—it is a moral and spiritual imperative. “The people most impacted by climate change, deforestation, and pollution are the world’s poorest,” he said, quoting Laudato Si’. “We must not allow ecology to be stripped of its human dimension. To care for the earth is to care for each other.”
At the close of the press conference, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni addressed recent media speculation regarding Traditionis custodes, Pope Francis’s 2021 decree on the Latin Mass. Bruni noted that some recent articles presented an “incomplete and misleading narrative,” and confirmed that additional confidential reports and documentation were reviewed by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith beyond those originally cited.
The introduction of the “Mass for the Care of Creation” marks a watershed moment in the Church’s liturgical life aligning prayer with ecological awareness and responsibility. By integrating this concern into the very heart of Catholic worship, the Church offers not only a prophetic witness, but a deeply sacramental path forward in responding to the environmental challenges of our time.