Leo XIV opens new environmental center in Castel Gandolfo

Pope Leo XIV will open a new ecological training center in Castel Gandolfo on Friday. The “Borgo Laudato Si” project was launched in 2023 by Pope Francis, named after his environmental encyclical of the same name.

The center is headed by American priest Manuel Dorantes, formerly of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The goal is to be a model for ecological education and sustainable action.

The center offers courses in horticulture, environmental protection, and related fields. Experts in botany, biology, and ecology will deepen the values of the encyclical and teach them in a practical way.

Disadvantaged groups are particularly targeted: migrants, victims of violence, people with disabilities, former prisoners, and people in rehabilitation.
The centerpiece is a curved greenhouse, whose architecture is reminiscent of the colonnades of St. Peter's Square. Lectures and practical training courses are held there and in the adjacent teaching building.

Visitors can purchase regional products, including wine from Vatican vineyards, organic olive oil, and cheese from around 60 of the Vatican's own cows.

The summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, around 30 km south of Rome on Lake Albano, covers 55 hectares – more than the entire territory of the Vatican.

(reuters, lup)