Pope warns of ‘uncontrolled consumption of resources,’ challenges to waste disposal

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday warned of the urgency of the current ecological crisis during an audience at the Vatican with a delegation from the Hera Group, an Italian conglomerate specializing in environmental services, waste management, integrated water systems, and energy.

“The ecological challenge of our time is, in fact, more urgent than ever. On the one hand, we are witnessing the uncontrolled consumption of resources; on the other, the management and disposal of enormous quantities of waste are becoming increasingly problematic,” he cautioned on Oct. 1.

Leo XIV also recalled that, for Christians, care for creation is part of a moral responsibility.

“As Christians, we cannot resign ourselves to accepting the throwaway culture; rather, we are called to make wise use of creation,” he stressed.

“To avoid considering every used object as mere waste, it is necessary to change our behavior and commit ourselves to taking a different path. In essence, this means overcoming the consumerist model and moving toward a productive system capable of preserving the limited goods of our planet,” the pontiff said.

Leo XIV praised the company’s work in the field of recycling, an activity…