Pope Leo’s Address to delegation of the “Hera Group”
Clementine Hall- Thursday, 1 October 2026
Hera Group is a multiutility company based in Bologna, Italy.
Hera operates in the distribution of gas, water, energy
Pope Leo’s Address
In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
I am pleased to welcome you, as a delegation of the Hera Group, for a moment of greeting, which gives us the opportunity to once again emphasize the importance of our responsibility in protecting creation.
From the very first pages of the Bible, the protection of our world appears among the commandments that God wished to address to man.
It is, therefore, an original task, which today also finds expression in your work.
I am grateful to you for the work you do in trying to contribute to the care of our common home, and I encourage you to continue in this commitment.
The ecological challenge in our time, in fact, is more urgent than ever:
on the one hand, we are witnessing an uncontrolled consumption of resources,
on the other hand, the management and disposal of enormous quantities of waste is becoming increasingly problematic.
In order not to consider every object used as if it were mere waste, we need to change our conduct, committing ourselves to another path.
In essence, it is a matter of overcoming the consumerist model and moving towards a production system capable of preserving the limited goods of our planet.
Mindful of God’s commandment, as Christians, we cannot resign ourselves to accepting the throwaway culture, being rather called to make wise use of creation.
Your activity in the field of recycling shows that it is possible to commit yourself in this direction.
The work you carry out, in fact, also in the Vatican, testifies that the culture of waste can be profitably opposed by the culture of care.
It is not simply limited to objects and products but extends from these to human work and from work to people.
It is we, in fact, who inhabit the world and who, with our decisions and our behavior, live it as a gift from God.
As Pope Francis has taught, the model of recycling and circular production is a good way to guarantee a sustainable environment for future generations
It is important to set an example of consistency: the Church is the first to put into practice what she herself proclaims.
Through our synergy we will be able to make everyone’s home more beautiful and welcoming.
Thank you for your visit.
I bless you and wish you all the best for your work and your families. Thank you.
Footnote: Laudato Si’, 21-22
21. Account must also be taken of the pollution produced by residue, including dangerous waste present in different areas.
Each year hundreds of millions of tons of waste are generated, much of it non-biodegradable, highly toxic and radioactive, from homes and businesses, from construction and demolition sites, from clinical, electronic and industrial sources.
The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.
In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.
Industrial waste and chemical products utilized in cities and agricultural areas can lead to bioaccumulation in the organisms of the local population, even when levels of toxins in those places are low.
Frequently no measures are taken until after people’s health has been irreversibly affected.
22. These problems are closely linked to a throwaway culture which affects the excluded just as it quickly reduces things to rubbish.
To cite one example, most of the paper we produce is thrown away and not recycled.
It is hard for us to accept that the way natural ecosystems work is exemplary: plants synthesize nutrients which feed herbivores; these in turn become food for carnivores, which produce significant quantities of organic waste which give rise to new generations of plants.
But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products.
We have not yet managed to adopt a circular model of production capable of preserving resources for present and future generations, while limiting as much as possible the use of non-renewable resources, moderating their consumption, maximizing their efficient use, reusing and recycling them.
A serious consideration of this issue would be one way of counteracting the throwaway culture which affects the entire planet, but it must be said that only limited progress has been made in this regard.