Pope's Alma Mater reveals first Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal recipient

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The winner of the first-ever Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal is Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, in recognition of his decades of "remarkable service" and as "a leader whose life reflects the very best of what this medal represents."

This was revealed by the President of Villanova University, Fr. Peter Donahue, Ph.D., O.S.A. on Monday during a press conference hosted by the university on September 14 in the Vatican's Sala San Pio X, down the street from St. Peter's Square, to announce the inaugural recipient of the Medal.

Alongside the University President at the conference were Cardinal Czerny and Dr. Manuela Priesemuth-Payan, Ph.D., Faculty Director for Ethics and Social Responsibility at Villanova School of Business, and Alessandro Gisotti, Deputy Director Editorial of the Dicastery for Communication, who moderated.

Villanova University is an Augustinian Catholic institution located near Philadelphia in the United States, where Pope Leo XIV, then Robert Prevost, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1977. The University later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 2014.

Alessandro Gisotti opened the event by recalling that all were gathered on this special day, as September 14 marks the birthday of Pope Leo, reflecting on how it is a gift to be discussing these themes important to him.

Recalling that the Prior General of the Augustinian Order Worldwide, Fr. Joseph Farrell, O.S.A., was in attendance, Mr. Gisotti observed that Fr. Farrell's presence underlines the great Augustinian inspiration behind the events being discussed today.

Fr. Donahue: ‘moving from dialogue to meaningful action’

Before discussing the Medal itself, Fr. Peter Donahue thanked Pope Leo for his leadership, witness, and steadfastness in working to protect our common home and promote human rights.

He explained that the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal is intended to recognize individuals from any field or discipline whose leadership reflects a holistic approach to sustainability. Laureates are selected for work that integrates care for the environment, social justice, protection of vulnerable communities, and responsible economic stewardship.

Presented every two years during the Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, he said it seeks to inspire leadership, encourage innovation, and promote collaboration in building a more just and sustainable world. 

The President of the University went on to highlight that this year's winner was Cardinal Michael Czerny, with his decades of remarkable experience in advancing human dignity, human rights, and environmental stewardship, "reflects the spirit the Medal was meant to honor."

Cardinal Czerny says Medal represents a call to responsibility and action

Cardinal Czerny expressed his gratitude for the honor.

“I commend Villanova," he said, "for courage to stand up in this very public way to say we pledge to serve society by preparing people to take real responsibility for the world that is coming into being – and that’s not just ecology responsibility, but also responsibility for artificial intelligence and more broadly and deeply with political responsibility, where it is always harder to exercise it.”

The Medal, he said, has great significance for the person who receives it, but what is more important here is the donor, the fact that this American university is making such a commitment to sustainability is noteworthy.

‘The Medal challenges us to ask what future we are preparing for’

Moreover, Cardinal Czerny suggested the Medal symbolizes the challenge for the University to ask itself: "what are we preparing these future graduates for?"

“Now there are very serious questions about the future, and to say we prepare you for the future," the Jesuit Cardinal underscored, "is a very bold promise.”

“We dare to offer them an education which claims to prepare them for life. That’s quite an offer. I feel the meaning of that offer is all the more eloquently expressed by Pope Leo in his encyclical Magnifica humanitas, ‘where he asks what type of world are we building.’”

International Sustainability Conference

In addition to focusing on the award, the speakers focused on the upcoming 2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, titled “Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor.”

The 2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference is expected to bring together approximately 300 academics, researchers, Church representatives, foundations, and leaders from the public and private sectors in Rome from Oct. 12–15.

The Conference is presented with the support of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education.

Fr. Donahue stressed the conference seeks “to move from dialogue to meaningful action,” and Dr. Manuela offered the academic perspective.

She expressed that the conference will foster dialogue and collaboration across many different disciplines, sectors, and communities, including those most on the front lines in the various areas, those working in the Global South, as well as eventual policymakers, and explained that a keynote will be presented each day to set the tone.

Pope Leo to present Medal

Pope Leo XIV himself will officially present the Medal on October 13 at Laudato Si’ Village in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, during the Conference.

With at its core the relationship between ecological degradation and social inequality, the conference will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and explore how research, ethics, and lived experience can contribute to more just and sustainable communities.

On October 13, participants will gather for a morning program and lunch at the Augustinianum in Rome before traveling to the Laudato Si’ Village in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo for a visit and the inaugural presentation of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal.