(OSV News) ─ Villanova University, Pope Leo XIV's alma mater, has announced a new award recognizing those who integrate care for the poor and the care of creation -- and the pope himself will confer the inaugural honor in October just outside of Rome.
The biennial Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal was announced July 20 by Villanova and its Office for Sustainability, which oversees a whole-of-university effort to foster care for creation and the common good through academic research and overall university life.
The pope will present the medal at Borgo Laudato Si', in Castel Gandolfo, amid the Oct. 12-15 Villanova International Sustainability Conference in Rome.
The recipient will be announced in September, with the university noting that nominees had been assessed in a "rigorous" process by members of Villanova's Sustainability Leadership Council.
Augustinian Father John Abubakar, Villanova University's chief sustainability officer, told OSV News that Pope Leo learned of the medal's creation in May, when the priest advised him in person while in Rome.
"He's a very humble, simple man," said Father Abubakar, who has known the future pope and fellow Augustinian for years. "Once we told him, he simply said, 'OK, if you think it will help the common good, why not?'"
The conference -- the theme of which is "Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor" -- is expected to draw some 300 participants spanning a diverse range of expertise, with the goal of moving "from dialogue to concrete, collaborative action," said the university.
Conference partners include the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development as well as the Centro di Alta Formazione Laudato Si' ("Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education"), which Pope Francis established to further the implementation of his 2015 ecological encyclical.
Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of the center, said the medal honors "individuals whose lives bear witness to the inseparable bond between care for creation and the promotion of human dignity, rooted in the light of our faith."
In the process, he added, the award "celebrates leaders whose example inspires future generations to embrace an integral ecology that responds with hope to both the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor."
In its press release, the university described the medal as "a new international honor that will recognize individuals whose leadership has advanced sustainability, ecological responsibility, and integral human development."
All three of those themes, which have long roots in Catholic theology, have been especially prioritized by recent popes.
The medal's unveiling "comes amid growing recognition that environmental and social challenges are deeply interconnected," said the university.
In particular, Father Abubakar stressed that a "faith-based approach to sustainability can have a real, positive impact."
"If people see it (sustainability) more as my God-given responsibility, we begin to change the conversation around language, around our idea of resources," he said. "We say things like, 'Your life is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.'” The university noted that the medal is "distinct from secular awards," since it prioritizes "the ethical mandate of caring for the marginalized," while "bridging the gap between rigorous science and moral conviction."
Medal recipients, who "may come from any field or discipline," will be chosen for their "demonstrated impact in advancing a more sustainable and equitable world," Villanova said.
Villanova said the honor "reflects a vision of sustainability that extends beyond environmental protection alone."
Instead, that vision embraces "the broader pursuit of human flourishing, social justice, and long-term responsibility toward future generations. "Specifically, the medal will 'honor those whose work demonstrates a holistic vision of sustainability, integrating care for the environment, social justice, concern for vulnerable populations, and responsible stewardship of economic and natural resources."
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Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.
