(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 09.27.2025).- Castel Gandolfo, once the papal summer residence, is set to host a very different kind of gathering this October. From October 1 to 3, more than four hundred participants from across the globe—bishops, environmental experts, government officials, indigenous leaders, and representatives of civil society—will convene for an international conference titled “Generating Hope for Climate Justice.”
The event, organized by the Laudato Si’ Movement in collaboration with Church and institutional partners, coincides with the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on care for creation. It also takes place in the lead-up to the 2025 Jubilee Year and on the eve of critical negotiations expected at COP30 in Brazil.
The conference will open with a “Celebration of Hope” presided over by Pope Leo XIV, who will meet a group of participants after offering his address. The gathering will feature testimonies from prominent figures including Brazil’s Minister of the Environment Marina Silva and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, both long-time advocates for environmental action. Their presence highlights the conference’s intent to bridge faith, politics, and civic responsibility in confronting the climate crisis.
The three-day program blends spiritual reflection with policy-oriented debate. Alongside roundtables and workshops, there will be cultural encounters and prayer moments designed to underscore the moral and existential dimensions of ecological action. Among the highlights is a keynote on October 2, “A Reason for Hope,” delivered by Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Porto Alegre, president of the Brazilian bishops’ conference and of CELAM, the Latin American Episcopal Council.
Organizers have described the goals in terms both practical and spiritual: to celebrate the fruits of Laudato Si’ and faith-based climate initiatives over the past decade, to inspire hope in the face of ecological collapse, to mobilize commitments from diverse leaders toward climate justice, and to strengthen long-term collaboration between Church institutions, policymakers, and civil society.
For Pope Leo XIV, the conference marks one of the first major international encounters of his pontificate and signals continuity with the ecological vision of his predecessor. Yet it also reflects the pope’s own pastoral style: rooting global issues not only in urgent calls for political change but also in the lived testimony of faith communities.
By bringing together a Hollywood icon, a Brazilian stateswoman, and a global network of religious leaders, Castel Gandolfo is set to become a stage where the Church seeks to turn moral authority into concrete action. For many, the symbolism is clear: a decade after Laudato Si’, the question is no longer whether the Church should speak on climate, but how decisively it can act alongside others in shaping the planet’s future.
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