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3d ago

Pope Leo XIV Inaugurates Vatican’s Borgo Laudato Si’ and Taps Chicago Duo to Run Estate Restaurant

The project translates church teaching on creation care into hands-on training with zero‑waste systems.

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The centre was launched by Pope Leo's predecessor, Francis, in 2023
The Rev. Manuel Dorantes walks the grounds of Borgo Laudato Si’ on May 20, 2025, outside Rome. Dorantes moved from serving in Chicago to Italy after being appointed by Pope Francis as the administrative management director of the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education in 2024. The 165-acre property next to the pope’s summer home, Castel Gandolfo, includes historic gardens, monuments and new areas for organic farming and education. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The Vatican-run centre near Rome focuses on sustainability

Overview

  • Leo formally opened the new ecological training center at the papal estate in Castel Gandolfo, touring gardens and presiding over a liturgy.
  • Chicago chef Art Smith and restaurateur Phil Stefani were selected to operate the site’s only restaurant, planned to debut in spring 2026 with farm‑to‑table cooking.
  • A solar‑powered greenhouse modeled on St. Peter’s colonnade will supply ingredients, and the venue will also act as the estate’s exclusive caterer.
  • Programs include vocational training in sustainable gardening, organic winemaking and olive harvesting, prioritizing refugees, abuse survivors, recovering addicts and former prisoners.
  • Officials highlighted zero‑waste goals—banned plastics, recycling and composting, AI‑guided irrigation, rainwater harvesting and wastewater reuse—while declining to disclose detailed financing beyond unnamed partner investors.