Villanova University has announced the creation of a new international award, the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal, to recognise exceptional leadership in sustainability and integral human development.
The honour will be presented for the first time at the 2026 Villanova International Sustainability Conference in Rome and Castel Gandolfo, with Pope Leo XIV himself presiding over the presentation ceremony.
The announcement was made in a statement signed by Prof. John Abubakar, Chief Sustainability Officer at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and the initiator of the award.
According to Abubakar, the medal represents the university’s commitment to promoting leadership that addresses both environmental challenges and human dignity.
The Medal was established by Villanova University and its Office for Sustainability. It is designed to honour individuals whose work has meaningfully advanced ecological responsibility, social equity, and the broader principles of integral human development.
The university said the award will spotlight action that goes beyond policy and research to create real impact on communities.
Abubakar explained that the initiative seeks to celebrate leaders who demonstrate a holistic vision of sustainability.
This vision, he said, must integrate care for the environment with social justice, concern for vulnerable populations, and the responsible management of economic and natural resources. The goal is to recognise work that treats ecological and human concerns as interconnected.
In line with Catholic social teaching, the US-based Augustinian institution stated that it will prioritise evaluating integral ecology over purely technical or scientific metrics.
This approach, the university noted, reflects Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls for an integrated response to the environmental crisis and poverty.
The award will be open to nominees from any field or discipline. Recipients will be selected based on evidence of their impact in building a more sustainable and equitable world. Villanova emphasised that the medal is not limited to academics or environmentalists, but will also consider leaders in government, business, civil society, and the Church.
The inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal will be presented by the Holy Father at Castel Gandolfo during the Villanova International Sustainability Conference: Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor.
The conference is scheduled to hold from October 12 to 15, 2026, and will serve as the official platform for the award.
Organisers expect about 300 participants to attend the conference. The gathering will bring together academics, researchers, Church representatives, foundation leaders, and executives from the public and private sectors.
The forum is designed to be transdisciplinary, with a focus on moving from dialogue to concrete, collaborative action on sustainability.
The winner of the inaugural medal will be announced in September 2026, weeks before the conference and the formal award ceremony at Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. The location was chosen to reflect the themes of integral ecology and faith-based action that underpin the award.
Villanova University President, Fr. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, said the new medal embodies a core belief of the institution.
“The Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal reflects a deeply held belief at Villanova University: that care for our common home and care for one another are inseparable,” he stated.
He added that by honouring such leaders, the university hopes to inspire lasting change in communities worldwide.
The award also carries a personal connection to the Pontiff. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Robert F. Prevost, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Villanova in 1977. The university later conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 2014.
The medal will be awarded every two years as part of Villanova’s long-term commitment to global sustainability.
The 2026 conference will be hosted jointly at the Patristicum in Rome and the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education at Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. It is being organised in partnership with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, established by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Center, welcomed the medal, saying it honours those “whose lives bear witness to the inseparable bond between care for creation and the promotion of human dignity, rooted in the light of our faith”.
Speaking on the vision behind the Pope Sustainability Awards, the initiator of the award, Prof. John Abubakar, noted that the goal is to recognize and scale action that delivers real impact.
Abubakar, who serves as Chief Sustainability Officer and adjunct professor at Villanova University, oversees the implementation of the University’s 2020-2030 Sustainability Plan, advocates for the creation of a global platform to honor institutions and individuals advancing practical approaches to climate action, ecological stewardship, and human flourishing.
Drawing from his more than 15 years of experience in sustainability and organisational leadership, he said special emphasis must be placed on the built environment, housing, and ecology. He noted that sustainable design, management, and community planning can improve quality of life while reducing environmental impact.
“We created the Pope Sustainability Awards to spotlight leaders who are turning ideas into practice in ecology, in housing, in the built environment, and in institutional management,” he said.