Pope Leo XIV has chosen “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Is 2:4) as the theme for the 2026 edition of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, traditionally celebrated on September 1.
In the statement from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development making the announcement, the Dicastery states that the Holy Father’s Message for the Day highlights the connection between armed conflict and environmental degradation.
Such degradation, it underscored, constitutes both a serious violation of our duty to care for creation, as well as a long-term threat to the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
Moreover, it said “the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully.”
Finally, the statement concluded that the title, the passage in which the Prophet Isaiah prophesies the transformation of weapons into agricultural tools, “is an explicit invitation to prioritize development and sustainability over violence and destruction.”
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