On Monday morning, Villanova University, along with officials at the Vatican, announced the inaugural recipient of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal. During the morning ceremony, officials named Czech-born Canadian Jesuit, Cardinal Michael Czerny, as the inaugural winner for the award. Fa ther Peter M. Donohue, president of Villanova University said Czerny was selected because, in him, officials found a man who has “consistently demonstrated that the cries of the Earth and the cries of the poor cannot be separated.” “His life reflects the very spirit of this medal,” Donohue said of Czerny. A Vatican profile on Czerny says he serves as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. In a statement, Villanova University officials said, throughout his career, Cardinal Czerny has “worked at the intersection of human dignity, social justice, care for vulnerable communities and care for creation.” According to Vatican officials, Czerny was born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1946 and immigrated to Montreal, Canada, with his family at a young age. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1963, was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1973, and spent more than five decades serving vulnerable populations around the world, officials said. Also, he founded and led a center for faith and social justice in Toronto in 1979. In 1990, officials said, Czerny volunteered for assignment to El Salvador during the country’s civil war and he later went to Kenya, where he founded the African Jesuit AIDS Network. Pope Francis named him a cardinal in 2019, after two years as under-secretary of the Vatican’s section on migrants and refugees.   During the day, officials also previewed the 2026 Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, that will be entitled, “Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor.” In a statement on the announcement, officials said discussion during the event on Monday was intended to “focus on some of today’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.” Also, officials discussed, what they called, “vision behind the new medal.” Pope Leo XIV is expected to officially present the medal during a ceremony to be held October 13, 2026, at Borgo Laudato Si’ in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo at the Vatican. Officials said the new award is intended as “an enduring recognition of individuals from any field or discipline whose leadership reflects a holistic approach to sustainability.” Laureates are selected for work that, officials said in a statement, “integrates care for the environment, social justice, protection of vulnerable communities, and responsible economic stewardship.” The medal will be awarded every two years during the Villanova University International Sustainability Conference, as a way to “inspire leadership, encourage innovation and promote collaboration in building a more just and sustainable world,” officials said. NBC10 is working to learn more. ...read more read less