Pope Leo XIV says "we are called to contribute to...the civilization of love, in which love is the only guiding principle" FULL TEXT to Borgo Laudato si’ Dialogues
Pope Leo XIV on June 19, welcomed participants in the first edition of the Borgo Laudato si’ Dialogues. The participants had gathered at Borgo Laudato si’ in Castel Gandolfo for two days of discussions on some of the most critical issues facing humanity today, including artificial intelligence and its impact on human dignity, healthy ageing, sports diplomacy, and environmental sustainability.The meeting forms part of the broader mission of Borgo Laudato si’, established in the Papal Villas of Castel Gandolfo as a centre for integral ecology inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical Laudato si’. The dialogues gathered experts, practitioners and leaders from different countries and disciplines to explore how ethical leadership can contribute to ecological, social and economic transformation.
GREETINGS OF THE HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE “BORGO LAUDATO SI’ DIALOGUES”
in the Vatican Consistory Hall on Friday, 19 June 2026
_______________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome.
You have just concluded two days of intense work at Borgo Laudato Si' in Castel Gandolfo. You have gathered to participate in the first edition of the “Borgo Dialogues,”- as Cardinal Baggio was just explaining - the first step of a process aimed at renewing and reimagining moral leadership in a world that today appears fractured and forgetful of its historical roots.
And brothers, you have discussed relevant issues, which are also concerns of the Catholic Church: artificial intelligence and its relation to humanity, aging and vitality, sports and diplomacy and the future of sustainability. You have fulfilled the desire I recently expressed in my Encyclical Letter, Magnifica Humanitas: “To engage in dialogue with all men and women of our time, with whom we share in the events, questions and aspirations of humanity. Together with them, we seek to identify new paths for the common good and for promoting a dignified life for all” (No. 2).
As I also stated in this same document, “We live at a time of significant spiritual and cultural blindness. A false pragmatism urges us to sever the roots of our history, as if it were possible to inaugurate a kind of ‘new creation’ detached from the past. Even those who cite important moral principles can fall into this historical nihilism, mistakenly believing that the atrocities of the twentieth century can never happen again” (No. 204).
Your dialogues have been structured on the Catholic Church’s vision of synodality, listening from the ground up while fostering global unity. You are experts, leaders and practitioners from different parts of the world, working in different fields, with a variety of expertise, experiences and visions. And despite this diversity, you are all deeply committed to the ecological, social and economic transformation of the world.
In the face of the temptation to build the “Tower of Babel,” which represents the idolatry of profit at the expense of the most vulnerable and enhances the risk of dehumanization, we are called to contribute to the construction of the New Jerusalem, the civilization of love, in which love is the only guiding principle of economic, political and cultural life.
“The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization. For this reason, it is worthwhile pausing to reflect on some aspects of how we, each in our own way, can cooperate in building the civilization of love” (Magnifica Humanitas, 213)
This you have done in the wonderful environment of the Pontifical Gardens of Borgo Laudato Si’, letting the beauty of creation — and of the Creator — inspire you to bridge local insight with global responsibility and advance a process aimed at shaping courageous leadership, which is much needed today.
Thank you for your openness and availability to participate in this process, which will bring you together again in other important contexts and open paths for further progress.
May the Lord bless your efforts and give you the grace to be humble builders of the New Jerusalem, the city of God, which offers living water to the thirsty, and care, recognition, kind words and hands capable of tenderness to every human being.
Thank you very much.
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE “BORGO LAUDATO SI’ DIALOGUES”
in the Vatican Consistory Hall on Friday, 19 June 2026
_______________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome.
You have just concluded two days of intense work at Borgo Laudato Si' in Castel Gandolfo. You have gathered to participate in the first edition of the “Borgo Dialogues,”- as Cardinal Baggio was just explaining - the first step of a process aimed at renewing and reimagining moral leadership in a world that today appears fractured and forgetful of its historical roots.
And brothers, you have discussed relevant issues, which are also concerns of the Catholic Church: artificial intelligence and its relation to humanity, aging and vitality, sports and diplomacy and the future of sustainability. You have fulfilled the desire I recently expressed in my Encyclical Letter, Magnifica Humanitas: “To engage in dialogue with all men and women of our time, with whom we share in the events, questions and aspirations of humanity. Together with them, we seek to identify new paths for the common good and for promoting a dignified life for all” (No. 2).
As I also stated in this same document, “We live at a time of significant spiritual and cultural blindness. A false pragmatism urges us to sever the roots of our history, as if it were possible to inaugurate a kind of ‘new creation’ detached from the past. Even those who cite important moral principles can fall into this historical nihilism, mistakenly believing that the atrocities of the twentieth century can never happen again” (No. 204).
Your dialogues have been structured on the Catholic Church’s vision of synodality, listening from the ground up while fostering global unity. You are experts, leaders and practitioners from different parts of the world, working in different fields, with a variety of expertise, experiences and visions. And despite this diversity, you are all deeply committed to the ecological, social and economic transformation of the world.
In the face of the temptation to build the “Tower of Babel,” which represents the idolatry of profit at the expense of the most vulnerable and enhances the risk of dehumanization, we are called to contribute to the construction of the New Jerusalem, the civilization of love, in which love is the only guiding principle of economic, political and cultural life.
“The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization. For this reason, it is worthwhile pausing to reflect on some aspects of how we, each in our own way, can cooperate in building the civilization of love” (Magnifica Humanitas, 213)
This you have done in the wonderful environment of the Pontifical Gardens of Borgo Laudato Si’, letting the beauty of creation — and of the Creator — inspire you to bridge local insight with global responsibility and advance a process aimed at shaping courageous leadership, which is much needed today.
Thank you for your openness and availability to participate in this process, which will bring you together again in other important contexts and open paths for further progress.
May the Lord bless your efforts and give you the grace to be humble builders of the New Jerusalem, the city of God, which offers living water to the thirsty, and care, recognition, kind words and hands capable of tenderness to every human being.
Thank you very much.
Source - https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/06/19/0532/01005.html
SEE More - https://www.laudatosi.va/bls/
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