In a significant step reflecting the Catholic Church’s growing commitment to environmental stewardship, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has officially promulgated a new Mass formulary and biblical readings for the "Care of Creation," released to the public on July 3.
Approved by Pope Leo XIV, the decree was signed and released on June 8, 2025, the Solemnity of Pentecost. It establishes a liturgical text to be used during Masses offered pro custodia creationis (for the care of creation), now added to the Roman Missal’s collection of Masses "for various needs or occasions."
The decree emphasizes that the mystery of creation is not only the beginning of salvation history but also finds its fulfillment in Christ.
Quoting Saint Augustine — “Let Your works praise You, that we may love You; and let us love You, that Your works may praise You” — the document reflects on how creation itself is a divine gift that points to the Creator’s glory and invites humanity to praise, love, and protect it.
Amid growing concerns over environmental degradation and the misuse of natural resources, the decree echoes Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, stating that “the work of creation is seriously threatened because of the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods God has endowed to our care.”
The Eucharist, the decree notes, holds a profound connection with creation. Citing Pope Benedict XVI, it explains that in the bread of the Eucharist, “creation is projected towards divinization, towards the holy wedding feast, towards unification with the Creator Himself.” Thus, the Eucharist not only strengthens the spiritual life of believers but also calls them to become faithful stewards of the earth.
With the promulgation of this new Mass text, the Church provides a formal liturgical expression of its ecological responsibility, encouraging the faithful to embrace care for creation as an integral part of their spiritual and moral lives.
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