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Illustration: The Creation by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1534
Pope Leo’s message for the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2026
[1st of September 2026]
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our Lord Jesus Christ came so that we might have life and have it in abundance (John 10:10 – 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly).
This gift of life lies at the very heart of our mission as disciples and of our shared calling to build a civilization of love.
On this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, we are invited to reflect on the gift of life and cherish the earth that sustains it.
These are tangible ways to offer praise to our Creator.
Today, we are witnessing many crises and immense human suffering.
At the same time, it seems that the disruption to the harmonious balance of creation is accelerating.
These phenomena are not unrelated. They are one plea for healing and peace from a wounded world.
The God of life, revealed through Jesus Christ, offers a peace that the world cannot provide. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27).
This peace is neither superficial nor fleeting.
It stems from Christ’s enduring love and care for every human being.
Yet this promise of peace contrasts sharply with the realities we see in many parts of the world.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of a time when nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4), transforming instruments of destruction into instruments of sustenance.
Today, however, we too often witness the very opposite, as efforts continue to be directed toward violence and war.
The wounds of war extend far beyond the battlefield.
It claims lives, tears families apart, and forces millions to flee their homes.
This deepens fear, injustice, and division.
War also leaves behind social and ecological destruction that endures for generations. Furthermore, the interaction between armed conflicts and environmental degradation creates a vicious cycle that destroys ecosystems, contaminates essential resources such as air and water, and undermines food security.
This can fuel poverty, inequality, and new social tensions that contribute to further conflicts.
Moreover, war creates wounds that damage the fabric of life as a whole, harming not only individuals and communities, but also their broader network of relationships with the human family and their harmony with creation.
War reveals a deeper failure to live in God’s image and likeness, to respect life, and to care for the Earth entrusted to us.
This failure is not only political, but also moral and spiritual.
Rooted in distorted desires and the misuse of human freedom and power, war stands as a counter-witness to the gospel of peace
The above-mentioned crises call for responsibility but also for a conversion of heart
This conversion will bear fruit in the form of deeper fidelity to God, love for one another, and respect for the gift of creation.
The discord we see in the world—such as violence, injustice, and ecological degradation—is not simply the result of flawed systems or structures.
Rather, it is a symptom of the deeper dichotomy that is rooted in humanity itself.
The human heart is where our deepest struggles unfold and our fallen condition is revealed.
It is not merely the seat of emotion; it is the center of the person—the place where reason, desire, will, and conscience converge.
Here, we wrestle with contradictory desires: love versus indifference, truth versus illusion, and justice versus injustice
(James 1:14–15 – Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.).
Thus, the wounds of war and the degradation of the earth are profoundly linked to the state of the human heart.
The conflicts that plague humanity are, in many ways, the outward manifestation of internal discord and division.
When the heart is distorted, relationships suffer and the structures we build reflect that disorder.
Pope Benedict XVI reminded us that “the external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast” (Homily for the Solemn Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry, April 24, 2005).
This calls us to recognize that what is broken outside of us is also broken inside of us. Therefore, in order to build a peaceful society, we must reform structures and renew our hearts.
The deep-seated causes of conflict and the exploitation of creation stem from an ethical and cultural crisis. This crisis includes a loss of a sense of limits, a desire for domination, a pursuit of immediate profit, and an inability to recognize the God-given dignity of each human person.
The prophetic call to “beat swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4) is therefore not only a vision for nations, but a call to each person. It invites us to transform harm into life.
However, this transformation cannot be achieved through external changes alone.
It requires a deeper personal and collective conversion through cooperation with God’s grace — a return to God, who will reorder our desires, heal our wounds, and help us grow in virtue.
Without an inner transformation, peace will remain fragile and short-lived.
However, when hearts are renewed, new possibilities emerge.
What was once used for destruction can now be used to nurture life, care for the poor, feed the hungry, and safeguard creation.
This is the path of authentic ecological conversion, where the effects of our encounter with Jesus Christ are evident in our relationship with the world around us.
Peace begins in the heart and flows outward to our relationships, communities, and the broader world.
Although the challenges before us are enormous, God does not leave us without means to heal and transform.
Instead of weapons of war, God grants us the strength to heal, reconcile, and build a civilization of love.
We are called to safeguard the many “ecosystems” entrusted to us: the ecosystems of creation, human relationships, and the human heart itself.
Imagine a world where the resources currently invested in war are instead invested in integral human development, overcoming poverty, protecting human dignity, and reconciling divided peoples.
This vision reflects our belief in the coming of God’s kingdom.
True tools for building peace are not weapons of destruction. Rather, they are truth, dialogue, patience, goodness, justice, mercy, understanding, care, and love.
These qualities stem from hearts shaped by the Gospel and sustained by God’s grace.
Only these qualities have the power to transform individuals, renew communities, and heal the wounds of our world.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The path before us is clear, though not easy.
We are called to renew our hearts so that we may seek peace and care for creation.
Scripture tells us to guard our hearts because everything we do flows from them. (Proverbs 4:23 – Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.).
If we approach this task with humility and faith, we will become partners with God in His work of renewal.
Slowly but surely, we will transition from the desert to the garden, from division to communion, and from violence to peace.
May the Lord grant us the courage to walk this path so that, in our time, swords will indeed be beaten into plowshares. May the promise of the gospel take deeper root in our world. May the peace of Christ reign over all creation.
From the Vatican, 15 August 2026, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
LEO PP. XIV
