Pope Leo calls for ‘integral ecology’

“The foundation of a spirituality of integral ecology” can be found in the story of Christ’s death and resurrection, the Pope explained during the general audience on 19 November 2025. In light of the COP30 underway in Brazil, Leo XIV linked fidelity to the Gospel with a commitment to protecting the environment.

His meditation this morning, part of the series of catechesis devoted to “Jesus Christ, our hope,” focused on the theme “Easter spirituality and integral ecology.”

Leo XIV reflected on the words of Christ when he appeared to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning: “Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” He explained that this question remains relevant in the face of the difficulties of today’s world, because “we cannot face challenges alone.”

The Pope offered an original interpretation of the initial misunderstanding recounted in the Gospels, when, weeping near the empty tomb, “Mary Magdalene did not immediately recognize the risen Jesus, but thought he was the gardener.” The Pope considered that in reality she was not “entirely wrong” to mistake him for the gardener, because indeed, “cultivating and keeping the garden is the original task that Jesus brought to fulfillment,” in line with the mission entrusted by God to man in the story of Genesis.

“May the Spirit give us the ability to listen to the voices of those who have no voice,” he urged. “We will then see what our eyes cannot yet see: that garden, or Paradise, towards which we are journeying only by welcoming and fulfilling our own task.”