Pope Leo XIV has issued a stark warning about a “burning” world as he interrupted his two-week holiday to urge Catholics to address the climate crisis.

Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, an Italian hill town near Rome where he is on holiday, the pontiff declared during a small outdoor ceremony: "Today … we live in a world that is burning, both because of global warming and armed conflicts."

Leo, who was elected on 8 May to succeed Pope Francis, said: "We have to pray for the conversion of many people … who still do not see the urgency of caring for our common home."

While refraining from naming specific climate-induced disasters, he characterised the global situation as an "ecological crisis".

Leo said the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church was committed to speaking about the issue, "even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world".

Pope Leo at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo (AP)

The Mass included a prayer for victims of the flash flooding in Texas, where at least 111 people have died and 173 are still missing.

Leo celebrated Wednesday's Mass according to a new Catholic rite that exhorts people to care for creation, first published by the Vatican on 3 July in its latest push to address climate issues.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official who helped to organise the Mass, said that Leo's decision to interrupt his holiday was a sign of the importance the new pope will place on environmental matters.

"By offering this Mass … at the beginning of his holiday, Pope Leo is giving a beautiful example of thanking for God's great gift and praying that the human family learns to care for our common home," said Cardinal Czerny.

The Pope offered a prayer for the victims of the Texas floods (AFP via Getty Images)

Garden mass

Francis, who died on 21 April, was also a firm proponent of care for creation. He was the first pope to embrace the scientific consensus about climate change and urged nations to reduce their carbon emissions in line with the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Leo is reviving a centuries-old tradition of popes taking holidays in Castel Gandolfo with a July 6-20 vacation in the sleepy hill town of about 8,900 residents on the shores of Lake Albano.

Residents earlier said they hope Leo's visit will help boost tourism, with visitors coming to take part in public religious celebrations with the pope on 13 and 20 July.

Wednesday's Mass was held in the 55-hectare gardens of the papal villa, which Francis opened to visitors and turned into an ecological institute.

The ceremony included several senior cardinals and about 50 staff members of the villa, gathered in front of a statue of Mary among tightly trimmed hedges in the garden.

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Garden mass

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