Oldal 16 [16]
1. INTRODUCTION
development of religious, moral and social senses (Pastoral Constitution
Gaudium et Spes, 59).? Already in ancient times it was said that the
beginning of philosophizing is the ability to wonder, to be amazed.”
In the early 1990s, the administration of Pazmany Péter Catholic University
recognized that the environmental crisis represents both a technological and
a societal challenge, necessitating a holistic, creative, and innovative approach.
Consequently, foundational environmental literacy is deemed essential for
intellectuals, particularly those trained in law. It is noteworthy that the
Apostolic See has addressed the emerging sustainability crisis, with relevant
ecclesiastical guidelines being issued from the 1980s.° In the light of these
considerations, the Department of Environmental Law was established in
1995 at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Pazmany Péter Catholic
University, making it the first such department in Hungary. The founding
of the Research Institute for the Integrity of Creation in 2022 represented a
further advancement for the university and the Hungarian academic
community, subsequently complemented by the establishment of the junior
research community the GENESIS College of Excellence. Where this volume
was born, the research institute’s goal is to research and disseminate the spirit
3 Pope Paul VI, Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World),
Rome, 1965, para. 53, https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/
documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html.
* Pope Francis, Address to Academics and Cultural Representatives: “The Key to Truth Is Knowledge”
(speech, Pazmany Péter Catholic University, Budapest, 30 April 2023), Magyar Kurir, https://
www.magyarkurir.hu/hirek/ferenc-papa-az-egyetemi-es-kulturalis-elet-kepviseloihez-az¬
igazsag-kulcsa-megismeres.
> Pope John Paul II, Address at the Conclusion of the Thirty-Fifth General Assembly of the World
Medical Association (29 October 1983), https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/
speeches/1983/october/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19831029_ass-medica-mondiale.html, Pope
Francis, Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations (United Nations Headquarters,
New York, 25 September 2015), Apostolic Journey to Cuba, the United States of America,
and Visit to the United Nations Headquarters, 19-28 September 2015, https://www.vatican.
va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150925_
onu-visita.html; Pope John Paul II, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace
(1 January 1990), https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/peace/documents/
hf_jp-ii_mes_19891208_xxiii-world-day-for-peace.html, Pope Leo XIV, Message to Participants
in the 44th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization Conference (30 June 2025), https://
press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/06/30/250630d.html; Pope
Francis, “Speech at World Meeting of Popular Movements,” Vatican Radio, 10 July 2015,
http://www.archivioradiovaticana.va/storico/2015/07/10/pope_francis_speech_at_world_
meeting_of_popular_movements/en-1157291; Pope Francis, Laudate Deum (apostolic
exhortation, Rome, 4 October 2023), https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_
exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html; Pope Francis, Laudato Si’: Encyclical
Letter on Care for Our Common Home (24 May 2015), https://www.vatican.va/content/
francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.
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