My dear sisters and brothers, peace be with you.

Before continuing with a few prepared remarks, I would like to thank the two speakers who preceded me. And I would like to add that there is indeed an action hero with us this afternoon, it is all of you, who are working together to make a difference.

As we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ on care for our common home, I cordially greet the organizers, the speakers, the participants and all of those who made the “Raising Hope” Conference possible. I especially thank the Laudato Si’ Movement for supporting the dissemination and implementation of Pope Francis message from the very beginning.

This Encyclical has greatly inspired the Catholic Church and many people of goodwill. It has proven to be a source of dialogue. It has given rise to reflection groups, academic programs in schools and universities, and partnerships and projects of various kinds on every continent. Many dioceses and religious institutes have been moved to take action to care for our common home, helping once more to give priority to the poor and marginalized in the process. Its impact has even extended to international summits, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, economic and business circles, as well as theological and bioethical studies. The phrase “care for our common home” has also been included in academic, scientific and political addresses and speeches.

Pope Francis' concerns and recommendations have been appreciated and accepted not only by Catholics, but also many people outside the Church who feel understood, represented and supported during this specific moment in our history. His analysis of the situation (cf. chapter 1), proposal of the paradigm of integral ecology (cf. chapter 4), insistent call for dialogue (cf. chapter 5), and the appeal to address the root causes of problems and to “bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development” (no. 13) have aroused widespread interest. Let us give thanks to our Father in heaven for this gift we have inherited from Pope Francis! The challenges identified in Laudato Si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were ten years ago. These challenges are of a social and political nature, but first and foremost of a spiritual nature: they call for conversion.

As with every anniversary of this nature, we remember the past with gratitude, but we also ask ourselves what remains to be done. Over the years, we have transitioned from understanding and studying the Encyclical to putting it into practice. What must be done now to ensure that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as mere passing trends or, worse still, that they be seen and felt as divisive issues? In line with Laudato Si’, the Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, published two years ago, noted that “some have chosen to deride” (no. 6) the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to “ridicule those who speak of global warming” (no. 7) and even to blame the poor for the very thing that affects them the most (cf. no. 9).

Besides spreading the message of the Encyclical, it is now more important than ever to return to the heart. In Scripture, the heart is not only the center of feelings and emotions, but the locus of freedom. Although the heart includes reason, it transcends and transforms it, influencing and integrating all aspects of the person and his or her fundamental relationships. The heart is the place where external reality has the greatest impact, where the deepest searching takes place, where the most authentic desires are discovered, where one’s ultimate identity is found, and where decisions are formed. It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place. We must shift from collecting data to caring; and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and communal lifestyles. For believers, this conversion is in fact no different to the one that orients us towards the living God. We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without participating in his outlook on creation and his care for all that is fragile and wounded.

Dear friends, let your faith inspire you to be bearers of the hope that comes from recognizing the presence of God already at work in history. Let us recall how Pope Francis described Saint Francis of Assisi: He “lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace” (Laudato Si’, 10). May each of us grow in these four relationships — with God, with others, with nature and with ourselves — through a constant attitude of conversion. Integral ecology thrives on all these relationships. Through our commitment to them, we can grow in hope by living out the interdisciplinary approach of Laudato Si’ and the call to unity and collaboration that flows from it.

We are one family, with one Father, who makes the sun to rise and sends rain on everyone (cf. Mt 5:45). We inhabit the same planet, and we must care for it together. I therefore renew my strong appeal for unity around integral ecology and for peace! It is encouraging to see the variety of organizations represented at this conference, as well as the wide range of organizations that have joined the Laudato Si’ Movement and the Platform for Action.

Moreover, Pope Francis emphasized that “the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the national and international levels” (Laudate Deum, 69). Everyone in society, through non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups, must put pressure on governments to develop and implement more rigorous regulations, procedures and controls. Citizens need to take an active role in political decision-making at national, regional and local levels. Only then will it be possible to mitigate the damage done to the environment. Local legislation will also be more effective if neighboring communities support the same environmental policies (cf. Laudato Si’, 179).

It is my hope that the upcoming international summits of the United Nations — the 2025 Climate Change Conference (COP 30), the 53^rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security, and the 2026 Water Conference — will listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, families, indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world. At the same time, I encourage everyone, especially young people, parents and those who work in local and national administrations and institutions, to play their part in finding solutions for today’s “cultural, spiritual and educational challenges” (Laudato Si’, 202), always striving tenaciously for the common good. There is no room for indifference or resignation.

I would like to conclude with a question that concerns each of us. God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that he created (cf. Gen 2:15), for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters (cf. Gen 4:9; Jn 13:34). What will be our answer?

Dear friends, I thank you for your commitment and I happily extend to all of you my blessing. Thank you.