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Cardinal Czerny announced as first recipient of Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal
Confirmed
In Short: During a press conference at the Sala San Pio X in Rome, Czerny highlighted the need for consultation with local communities before making major developmental decisions, such as building data centers.
During a press conference at the Sala San Pio X in Rome, Czerny highlighted the need for consultation with local communities before making major developmental decisions, such as building data centers. He stated, 'The decision to build data centers is like all the big developmental decisions that we make.
In announcing the recipient, Donohue praised Czerny's 'extraordinary passion for justice, human dignity, and the care of creation,' noting that his witness is an apt reminder of what authentic sustainability is. The medal will be awarded every two years during the Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, as a way to inspire leadership, encourage innovation, and promote collaboration in building a more just and sustainable world.
Cardinal Czerny, born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1946 and later immigrating to Canada, has a long history of advocating for the poor and marginalized. He volunteered for assignment to El Salvador during the country's civil war and later founded the African Jesuit AIDS Network in Kenya. His work reflects the vision of 'sustainability' in Catholic teaching, which must always answer the cries of the poor and the earth.
What's confirmed
- During a press conference at the Sala San Pio X in Rome, Czerny highlighted the need for consultation with local communities before making major developmental decisions, such as building data centers. He stated, 'The decision to build data centers is like all the big developmental decisions that we make.
- In announcing the recipient, Donohue praised Czerny's 'extraordinary passion for justice, human dignity, and the care of creation,' noting that his witness is an apt reminder of what authentic sustainability is. The medal will be awarded every two years during the Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, as a way to inspire leadership, encourage innovation, and promote collaboration in building a more just and sustainable world.
- Cardinal Czerny, born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1946 and later immigrating to Canada, has a long history of advocating for the poor and marginalized. He volunteered for assignment to El Salvador during the country's civil war and later founded the African Jesuit AIDS Network in Kenya. His work reflects the vision of 'sustainability' in Catholic teaching, which must always answer the cries of the poor and the earth.
What's still developing
- “His witness reminds us that authentic sustainability is never solely about environmental stewardship. It is also about accompanying those who suffer, defending the dignity of the human person, and building a future that leaves no one behind,” Donohue said.
- In his speech accepting the honor, Czerny cited Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, saying the pope highlighted the need for shared responsibility in achieving sustainability.
- Press conference on the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal recipient at the Sala San Pio X in Rome on Sept. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News “[The pope] has made responsibility even more explicit. We are responsible for the world, not just to take care of it, even though it would be part of sustainability, but in fact we are building it,” the cardinal said.
- Speaking to EWTN News after the conference, Czerny noted that many AI companies building data centers often do not consult residents before building on their land.
- The recently retired prefect of the Vatican’s human development office will receive the award from the pope on Oct.
- Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, former prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will be honored as the first recipient of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal in October.
- The medal, established by Villanova University and named after Pope Leo XIV, recognizes individuals who have worked toward ecological sustainability.
- VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — The following is the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s Angelus address given Sunday Sept.