Paul Polman’s Post

Last week I had the privilege of meeting Pope Leo XIV during the inauguration of Borgo Laudato Si, the papal property in Castel Gandolfo dedicated to Pope Francis' vision of integral ecology. From the outset, he signalled that care for our common home will rest at the heart of his mission. Like Francis before him, he framed ecological stewardship not as an optional cause, but as a moral vocation, inseparable from justice, peace, and human dignity. In his words: “The world is in danger, and in spite of those who say that’s not true, it is true, and the science makes that very clear.” In a time when denial and delay still dominate too many debates, it was a reminder that true moral authority must also be rooted in scientific truth. As politics too often narrows its horizons, he offered a wider moral lens, reminding us that leadership begins with service, that faith without action is hollow, and that true progress is measured by whether the most vulnerable are lifted up. This is not only a message for Catholics, but for all of us who care about the future of humanity and the planet. The challenge he sets is simple yet profound: to act as if our responsibility to the Earth, and to each other, is the first principle, not an afterthought. In the end, the true test of leadership is whether it widens the circle of dignity, and leaves behind a world more just and more liveable than the one we inherited.