God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
Genesis 9: 12-13 NRSVue
I suppose we were all hoping that the surgery to remove a node from one of Pope Leo's lungs would have a more positive outcome. The growth turned out to be cancerous and a lobe of his lung was removed. The reports are that this cancer was detected early and that the surgery was successful. It's curious -- certainly not providential -- that now both Leo and his immediate predecessor, Francis, have had part of a lung removed.
Francis and Leo share something much more positive in common, a deep theological appreciation for the gift of Creation, even though we may be more aware of the legacy of Francis in this regard through the encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home. It happens that yesterday, the day Leo underwent surgery, Villanova University in the US presented the first Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal. The presentation took place during a conference in Rome called Responding to the Cry of the Earth and the Poor" and Leo was scheduled to be there. Here is the description of the award:
The Medal seeks to 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.
Distinct from secular awards, it evaluates integral ecology over pure technical metrics, prioritizing the ethical mandate of caring for the marginalized and bridging the gap between rigorous science and moral conviction. Recipients may come from any field or discipline and will be selected based on their demonstrated impact in advancing a more sustainable and equitable world.
This sounds so balanced and I would hope all Christians are committed to a more sustainable and equitable world.
The first recipient is actually a Canadian, Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Jesuit. During the fifty years of his priesthood Cardinal Czerny has been involved in human rights in Central America, an AIDS network in Africa, and in a special appointment by Pope Francis on behalf of migrants and refugees. He has also been committed to the ways in which the plight of the poor and our planet are interwoven.
It seems to me that Czerny is a distinguished Canadian few of his compatriots know about and I'm glad he's being honoured.
It's interesting that in his acceptance speech he gave a shout-out to his parents who modelled recycling and who instilled in him a love of nature. He cited the story of God's covenant with Noah in the book of Genesis “Thanks to him,destruction did not have the last word. Humanity and the Earth were granted a reprieve: a wonderful opportunity to begin again, symbolised by the dove with ‘a fresh olive leaf in its beak’ and, for all time, by the rainbow.”
We can be grateful for Michael Czerny's inspiring Gospel witness and pray that Pope Leo is on the road to restored health.
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