Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has renewed his call for Christians across the world to join in celebrating Creation Day on September 1, the annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The observance, which this year takes inspiration from the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, will reflect on the theme “Seeds of Peace and Hope.”
Addressing the faithful during his Sunday Angelus, the Pope highlighted the urgent need for a united Christian witness in caring for the environment. He reminded the Church that Pope Francis extended this ecumenical celebration to Catholics ten years ago, stressing that prayer for the created world is “now more urgent and important than ever.”
The Pontiff emphasized that the World Day of Prayer marks not just a single event but also opens the broader Season of Creation, which continues until October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. “In the spirit of the Canticle of Brother Sun, composed 800 years ago, let us praise God and renew our commitment not to spoil His gift, but to care for our common home,” he urged.
Creation Day traces its roots back to the Orthodox Church, which first called for a day of prayer for the environment in 1989. Grounded in Orthodox liturgical tradition dating to the 5th century, it is a day to honor God as Creator and encourage stewardship of the Earth. Over the years, the World Council of Churches has played a key role in promoting the observance among Christian denominations worldwide.
While many Catholic Bishops’ Conferences had adopted the practice since the 1990s, Pope Francis formally instituted the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in 2015, coinciding with the release of his landmark encyclical Laudato si’. Since then, the Pope has issued annual messages to guide reflection and action.
Carrying forward this tradition, Pope Leo XIV released a special message for Creation Day 2025. He underlined that the theme “Seeds of Peace and Hope” reflects both the 10th anniversary of the Catholic observance and the broader Jubilee celebrations of the Church as “Pilgrims of Hope.”
“For believers, environmental justice is also a duty born of faith,” he said. “The universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed.”
Marking a historic development, Pope Leo also introduced a new “Mass for the Care of Creation” formulary. Presented by the Dicastery for Divine Worship, it will allow Catholic communities to celebrate Creation Day in a fully liturgical form for the first time, enriching the ecumenical prayer services that have long marked the day.
Globally, the initiative continues to be coordinated by the World Council of Churches, under the leadership of Moderator Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, working closely with various Christian world communions and partners.
As Christians prepare to enter the Season of Creation, Pope Leo XIV’s invitation underscores a shared mission: to sow seeds of peace, hope, and ecological responsibility in a world that urgently needs healing.