VATICAN CITY— Gazing at the lavish Italian-style gardens and intricate topiaries of the pope’s vast summer estate just outside of Rome, a local priest who immigrated to Waukegan from Mexico as a child marveled that he’s been entrusted with their care.

The grounds are home to the Vatican’s seminal ecological project, the Borgo Laudato Si’, a 135-acre experiment in sustainable farming and environmental education. It’s designed to serve as a model for intertwining the protection of both creation and often-vulnerable populations such as migrants, refugees and those in poverty, said the Rev. Manuel Dorantes, the initiative’s managing director and a longtime Archdiocese of Chicago priest with deep ties to several area parishes.

“We all need to come together to be able to promote environmenta

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