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1. INTRODUCTION
While prior to the work of Pope Francis, the social teaching of the Catholic
Church referred to the common good, social justice and natural resources,
explicit protection of creation appeared in the encyclical Laudato si’.”° In his
2015 address to the UN General Assembly, he said, that the environment
itself imposes ethical limits that human action must recognize and respect.”°
“The protection of creation, [...] In its approach, the Church goes beyond
mere practical issues. In his encyclical Laudato si’, Pope Francis warns that
“the root of the current situation” must be reached. It is not enough to just
notice ‘the symptoms’ and propose their treatment (Laudato si’ 15). In the
words of Lérand Ujhazi, this means that it is not enough to explore the
problems of waste management, climate change, biodiversity and water
management, but we must see the ‘deepest causes’ behind them.*’ Géza
Kuminetz expresses himself similarly in relation to the search for harmony
between man and the created world. “We must look for the root of the
crisis in the human attitude that does not want to step out of the role of
co-creator and desires to take on a sovereign creative role driven by the
desire for domination.””*
Creation care approach addresses all the issues that are specific to our time,
especially the social, natural, and economic contexts of sustainability. The
popes call for a renewed relationship with creation. Pope Francis called for
ecological conversion not only in his encyclical Laudato Si but also in his
apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum.” Continuing the work of his predecessors,
Pope Leo XIV dedicated a special liturgy to the protection of creation in July
2025.°° Pope Leo said our mission as Christians to care for creation was
entrusted to us by the Lord, so that we might bring peace and reconciliation
5 Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 887-945.
6 Pope Francis, Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on the Occasion of the Sus¬
tainability Summit (United Nations Headquarters, New York, 25 September 2015),
Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Cuba, to 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.
See, e.g., Lóránd Ujházi, "A környezetvédelem és a teremtésvédelem mint találkozási pont
a katolikus egyház és az Európai Unió kapcsolatában" [/Environmental Protection and the
Protection of Creation as a Meeting Point in the Relationship between the Catholic Church
and the European Union”], Euröpai Tükör 25, no. 1-2 (2022): 71-90, https://doi.org/10.32559/
et.2022.1-2.4.
8 Kuminetz, Creation Protection and Human Rights, 203.
2° Pope Francis, Laudate Deum (apostolic exhortation, 4 October 2023), https://www.vatican.
va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html.
50 Pope Leo XIV, Homily, Holy Mass for the Care of Creation, Borgo Laudato si, Castel Gandolfo
(9 July 2025), https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/homilies/2025/documents/20250709¬
omelia-custodia-creazione.html.
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