{"id":388322,"date":"2025-10-01T22:43:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/?p=388322"},"modified":"2025-10-08T21:36:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T19:36:58","slug":"pope-leo-xiv-opens-the-raising-hope-conference-what-remains-to-be-done-after-laudato-si","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/pope-leo-xiv-opens-the-raising-hope-conference-what-remains-to-be-done-after-laudato-si\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo XIV opens the Raising Hope Conference: What remains to be done after Laudato Si\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the afternoon of October 1, at the Focolare Movement\u2019s International Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, the Raising Hope Conference was inaugurated with the participation of His Holiness Leo XIV, alongside notable figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, and the Hon. Marina Silva, Brazil\u2019s Minister of Environment and Climate Change. <\/p>\n\n

The session combined testimonies, spiritual and artistic moments, in thanksgiving for the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si\u2019<\/em>. Representing the Laudato Si\u2019 Movement, Associate Director Christina Lea\u00f1o and Brazil Director Igor Bastos presided over the day\u2019s opening. <\/p>\n\n

A symbolic moment came when Pope Leo XIV touched and blessed a block of ice more than 20,000 years old, broken off due to climate change from a glacier in Greenland, as well as water brought from around the world\u2014gestures embodying compassion and concern for the cry of the Earth and the poor.<\/p>\n\n

Laudato Si\u2019: What remains to be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis Encyclical has profoundly inspired the Catholic Church and many people of goodwill,\u201d Pope Leo began in his speech on Laudato Si\u2019<\/em>, \u201cit opened strong dialogue, reflection groups, and academic programs.\u201d The Pope noted how his predecessor\u2019s encyclical spread \u201cto international summits, to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, to economic and business circles, to theological and bioethical studies.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Giving thanks to the Heavenly Father \u201cfor this gift we have inherited from Pope Francis,\u201d Leo stressed that today environmental and social challenges are even more urgent. On this anniversary we must ask ourselves: \u201cWhat remains to be done? What must we do now to ensure that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as passing trends or, worse still, are seen and felt as divisive issues?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n\n

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Return to the heart: from data collection to care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cToday more than ever it is necessary to return to the heart, the place of freedom and authentic decisions,\u201d affirmed the Pontiff, because although it \u201cincludes reason,\u201d it also \u201ctranscends and transforms it.\u201d \u201cThe heart is where external reality has the greatest impact, where the deepest search takes place, where the most authentic desires are discovered, where one\u2019s ultimate identity is found, and where decisions are forged.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

In this regard, he stressed that \u201conly by returning to the heart can a true ecological conversion take place.\u201d \u201cWe must move from collecting data to caring; and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and community lifestyles.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Leo reminded those present that this experience of conversion orients us toward the living God: \u201cWe cannot love God, whom we do not see, while despising His creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without sharing His vision of creation and His care for all that is fragile and wounded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

No room for indifference or resignation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Before concluding, the Pope looked with hope to the upcoming international summits \u2014COP30 in 2025, the World Food Security Committee session, and the 2026 Water Conference\u2014 \u201cso that they may listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

He also encouraged young people, parents, and those working in administrations and institutions to contribute to \u201cfinding solutions to today\u2019s cultural, spiritual, and educational challenges, always striving tenaciously for the common good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Finally, he reflected: \u201cGod will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world He created and for our brothers and sisters. What will our answer be?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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1.5 billion Catholics can get involved<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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Actor and former Governor of California, founder of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, Arnold Schwarzenegger, began his address by congratulating the Holy Father for installing solar panels on the roofs of the Vatican: \u201cI am standing next to a hero,\u201d<\/em> he declared.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere are 1.5 billion Catholics \u2014 that power and strength must be used to get involved in the climate movement,\u201d Schwarzenegger said, urging more focus on talking about pollution: \u201cThe average person doesn\u2019t understand when we talk about net zero or rising temperatures. Instead of speaking to the head, we must speak to the heart. We can end pollution if we work together, because God put us on this Earth to make it a better place.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Toward the COP of hope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Next came the Hon. Marina Silva, Brazil\u2019s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, co-chair of COP30. In her address, she expressed being inspired by Christian values in taking part in the conference. <\/p>\n\n

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Confidently, she stated: \u201cI am certain that the Pope will make a great contribution so that COP30 goes down in history and becomes, as we all ardently hope, the COP of hope, to preserve and cultivate all forms of life that are part of the beautiful garden God has given us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

From tears to hope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

On stage, the Pope was joined by Dr. Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si\u2019 Movement and President of the Conference Organizing Committee; theologian Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement; Fr. Jes\u00fas Mor\u00e1n; and Yeb Sa\u00f1o, Chair of the Board of the Laudato Si\u2019 Movement, who shared his own story of facing climate catastrophes in the Philippines and introduced the testimonies. <\/p>\n\n

A symbolic spiritual moment followed when representatives from East Timor, Ireland, Brazil, Zambia, and Mexico brought water from their homelands, poured into a common bowl on stage. They embodied the cry of indigenous peoples, wildlife, ecosystems, future generations, migrants, the poor, and the Earth itself. <\/p>\n\n

From tears to hope, with the audience on their feet, Pope Leo approached the glacial ice and proclaimed a blessing over the water and all present: \u201cMay we work for the flourishing of all creation.\u201d <\/em>Musical performances by Adenike, Gen Verde, and the Pacific Artists for Climate Justice brought joy and energy to the encounter.<\/p>\n\n

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A block of Greenland\u2019s ice<\/strong>The ice traveled more than 5,000 kilometers from the fjords of Nuuk, Greenland, to Castel Gandolfo, Rome. Artist Olafur Eliasson organized the transfer with the support of geologist Minik Rosing. Collected from the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the block of ice had detached from the Greenland ice sheet due to climate change and was melting into the ocean.Greenland\u2019s vast ice sheet is one of Earth\u2019s most important climate regulators. Formed from compacted snow over tens of thousands of years, it contains layers more than 100,000 years old with ancient air bubbles recording the history of our atmosphere. NASA\u2019s Earth Observatory estimates Greenland\u2019s ice sheet is losing about 270 billion tons per year due to climate change. As the ice releases meltwater into the ocean, it reminds us that our global relationship with ice sheets is existential: they connect us to the past, shape our present climate, and \u2014depending on our care or neglect\u2014 will determine our common future. If the ice melts completely, NASA predicts sea levels could rise by about seven meters (23 feet), reshaping coastlines and displacing millions worldwide. <\/p>\n\n

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By the Raising Hope Press Office<\/em>\n Photo: \u00a9 Javier Garc\u00eda-CSC Audiovisivi<\/em>\n<\/p>\n\n

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