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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-azigazsag-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. 14
