Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, former prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will be honoured next month as the first recipient of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal. Source: EWTN News.
Fr Peter Donohue OSA, president of Villanova University, made the announcement at a Vatican press conference yesterday.
The medal, established by Villanova University and named after Pope Leo XIV, recognises individuals who have worked toward ecological sustainability.
The pontiff will present the award at a ceremony on October 13 in the Borgo Laudato Si’ garden, part of the Pontifical Gardens in Castel Gandolfo.
Fr Joseph Farrell, OSA, prior general of the Augustinians, was also present at Monday’s press conference.
Villanova University is a Catholic liberal arts university in Pennsylvania. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost, earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1977 and an honorary doctorate in 2014 from Villanova University.
Fr Donohue praised Cardinal Czerny’s “extraordinary passion for justice, human dignity, and the care of creation,” noting that his witness is an apt reminder of what authentic sustainability is.
“His witness reminds us that authentic sustainability is never solely about environmental stewardship. It is also about accompanying those who suffer, defending the dignity of the human person, and building a future that leaves no one behind,” Fr Donohue said.
In his speech accepting the honour, Cardinal Czerny cited Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, saying the Pope highlighted the need for shared responsibility in achieving sustainability.
“[The Pope] has made responsibility even more explicit. We are responsible for the world, not just to take care of it, even though it would be part of sustainability, but in fact we are building it,” the cardinal said.
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Cardinal Czerny announced as first recipient of Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal (By Ishmael Adibuah, EWTN News)
