The President of Remam calls to renew the commitment to the Common Home during the World Day of Prayer for Creation

Caring for our Common Home must regain its place on the Church’s agenda, said Monsignor Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, president of the Mesoamerican Ecological Ecclesial Network (REMAM) and Caritas Latin America, ahead of the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to be held on September 1.

In an interview with ADN Celam, Rodríguez Vega noted that the event on September 1 will mark the beginning of the Season of Creation, which will run through October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. “We are preparing to celebrate September 1 as the day of all creation and of caring for creation,” he said.

The archbishop of Yucatán also highlighted the impetus that Pope Leo XIV is giving to the integral care of creation, in keeping with the legacy of Pope Francis. He noted that this path includes calls for ecological conversion and the strengthening of a spirituality based on peace and hope.

Photo: Mongabay

Since 2019, REMAM has been coordinating the Church’s efforts in Mesoamerica to promote care for our Common Home. Its work brings together initiatives from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize and seeks to strengthen a joint response to the region’s socio-environmental challenges.

The official emphasized that caring for creation must go hand in hand with defending human dignity and caring for the poorest. He also highlighted the approval of the *Pro Custodia Creationis* Mass, which incorporates into the liturgy “a sense of wonder and gratitude for God’s work.”

The defense of the Common Home, said Rodríguez Vega, must not be limited to the ecclesial sphere. Therefore, he invited those who share this concern to join efforts: “If there are other brothers outside our church who want to care for that integral care, welcome”.

Photo: CambioIn

It is worth recalling that in his message for the 2026 Day, Pope Leo XIV links the consequences of wars to the deterioration of creation. Under the theme “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4), he warns that conflicts cause “social and ecological destruction that lasts for generations” and exacerbate poverty.

In the face of these crises, the Pontiff calls for an inner conversion capable of transforming human relationships and our bond with creation. “Authentic ecological conversion,” according to the Pope, involves putting resources at the service of the poor, the hungry, and the protection of nature. His message thus proposes moving “from the desert to the garden, from division to communion, and from violence to peace.”