Pope Leo XIV to Confer First-Ever Sustainability Medal in His Name at the 2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, will receive Villanova University’s newly established Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal from the Holy Father during October conference in Rome.

Rome, Italy (Sept. 14, 2026) — Villanova University today announced Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, as the inaugural laureate of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal, a newly established distinction recognizing outstanding leadership at the intersection of sustainability, ethics and integral human development.  

Pope Leo XIV will confer the distinction on Cardinal Czerny on Oct. 13, 2026, at Borgo Laudato Si’, in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, Vatican State, where the Laudato si’ Center for Higher Education is creating a place dedicated to integral ecology, environmental sustainability, and circular economy. The presentation will take place during the 2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor, being held in Rome from Oct. 12–15. 

The announcement was made by The Rev. Peter Donohue, OSA, PhD, President of Villanova University, at a press conference held earlier today in Rome, which also featured Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, who headed the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development as Prefect until his term ended on Sept. 1, and Manuela Priesemuth-Payan, PhD, Villanova Faculty Director for Ethics and Social Responsibility in the Villanova School of Business.

“The Medal reflects a deeply held belief at Villanova: care for our common home and care for one another are inseparable. Inspired by Pope Francis’ teachings in Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, and by Pope Leo XIV’s call to serve the poor and marginalized, the award recognizes sustainability as both an environmental and human responsibility,” said Father Donohue. “Cardinal Czerny’s work has shown us that care for creation cannot be separated from care for people. This is precisely the kind of leadership the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal seeks to recognize.”

The Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal was established by Villanova University in 2026 to recognize individuals whose work demonstrates exceptional commitment to ecological responsibility, social justice, care for the most vulnerable and responsible stewardship of economic and human resources. 

“This honor belongs to a shared effort across the Church and beyond to respond to the one cry of the poor and of the earth. The recent Popes have forcefully taught that environmental responsibility and social justice are radically intertwined.  The Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal is a loud call to continue accompanying the vulnerable and caring for our common home,” said Cardinal Czerny. 

Throughout his career, Cardinal Czerny has worked at the intersection of human dignity, social justice, care for vulnerable communities and care for creation. His selection as the first laureate reflects the Church’s unique global understanding of sustainability: one in which care for the planet cannot be separated from care for people, particularly the poor and marginalized.

Czerny was born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1946 and immigrated to Montreal, Canada, with his family at a young age. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1963, was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1973, and spent more than five decades serving vulnerable populations around the world. He founded and led a center for faith and social justice in Toronto in 1979. In 1990, Czerny volunteered for assignment to El Salvador during the country's civil war. He later went to Kenya, where he founded the African Jesuit AIDS Network. Pope Francis named him a cardinal in 2019, after two years as under-secretary of the Vatican's section on migrants and refugees.  

As Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Czerny led the Church's work on justice, migration, health and care for creation from 2022 until Sept. 1.  

Another Recognition of Leadership in Sustainability
Villanova University’s commitment to sustainability is central to the institution’s Augustinian Catholic mission. The University established the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal in 2026 as an enduring recognition of individuals from any field or discipline whose leadership reflects a holistic approach to sustainability. Laureates are selected for work that integrates care for the environment, social justice, protection of vulnerable communities, and responsible economic stewardship. 

Presented every two years during the Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, the Medal seeks to inspire leadership, encourage innovation and promote collaboration in building a more just and sustainable world. 

Villanova University shares a special connection with the Holy Father. Pope Leo XIV, then Robert Prevost, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova in 1977, and the University later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 2014. 

2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference
Central to its Augustinian Catholic mission, Villanova University is committed to advancing knowledge, fostering ethical leadership, and promoting the common good through education, research, and service. The 2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor, reflects this commitment by creating a global forum that will bring together approximately 300 academics, researchers, Church representatives, foundations, and leaders from the public and private sectors in Rome from Oct. 12–15. Together, participants will collaborate to address the interconnected challenges of environmental degradation, poverty, and social inequality.  

The Conference is presented with the support of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education (Centro di Alta Formazione Laudato si'). 

Grounded in the convergence of ecological degradation and social inequality, the conference will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and explore how research, ethics and lived experience can contribute to more just and sustainable communities. 

On Oct. 13, participants will gather for a morning program and lunch at the Augustinianum in Rome before traveling to Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo for a visit and the inaugural presentation of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal. 

More information about the conference is available HERE. 

Sustainability at Villanova University: In 2007, Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. In 2018, the Villanova Sustainability Leadership Council was established to develop a 10-year actionable and measurable plan to guide the University’s comprehensive effort to support the planet and its people and to ensure prosperity for all. By committing the University to the Laudato Si Action Platform and developing a customized Laudato Si’ Plan, Villanova University is taking decisive and unflinching action to build a better future. At the core of all sustainability activities, both large and small, is the University’s vision to establish an ethos of sustainable living. As an Augustinian Catholic institution, Villanova is committed to generating and advocating sustainable action to help create a future that provides enough, for all, forever. 

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.