Faith
Catholic Church Renews Global Call for Climate Action at Laudato Si’ Africa Conference in Uganda
The Catholic Church has issued a renewed and urgent appeal for collective global action against climate change, calling on both political leaders and citizens to take immediate and shared responsibility for protecting the environment.
The call was made by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, during his keynote address at the Laudato Si’ Africa Conference held at Bethany Land Institute (BLI) in Kasana-Luwero Diocese, Uganda.
Delivering his message under the theme “Ten Years After Laudato Si’: Where is Africa?”, Cardinal Turkson emphasised the enduring relevance of Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, which focuses on humanity’s moral duty to care for the Earth, our “common home.”
“The Earth is a divine gift, but human behaviour is turning it into a wilderness and a desert,” Cardinal Turkson warned. “We must embrace ecological citizenship and educate all people to live in harmony with creation.”
Cardinal Turkson called on all people, especially Africans, to hear both “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor,” noting that environmental degradation disproportionately affects vulnerable communities. He also urged African bishops to place environmental concerns at the forefront of the upcoming Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).
The three-day conference brought together religious leaders, scholars, policymakers, and environmental activists from across Africa and beyond. It aimed to assess Africa’s progress since Laudato Si’ was released, celebrate grassroots ecological initiatives, and explore the Integral Ecology paradigm—an approach that links environmental, social, and spiritual well-being.
The event also honored the late Pope Francis, described by organizers as a formidable moral and spiritual leader and tireless advocate for ecological justice, who passed away on April 21, 2025.
His Grace Paul Ssemogerere, Archbishop of Kampala, officially welcomed delegates and reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to leading by example in climate action.
“The Church will continue to be a voice for the voiceless and a steward of creation,” Archbishop Ssemogerere said.
Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa, Bishop of Kasana-Luwero Diocese, condemned humanity’s negligence as a driver of the climate crisis, urging society to reflect deeply on the spiritual and moral dimensions of environmental destruction.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Katongole, Professor of Theology and International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and co-founder of BLI, called for a reimagining of rural Africa as the frontline of ecological transformation.
“Rural communities must become laboratories of integral ecology, where sustainable agriculture, spirituality, and justice meet,” Fr. Katongole said.
Participants at the conference stressed that Africa — a continent rich in natural resources but vulnerable to climate shocks — must lead from the front in advocating for climate justice, rooted in its spiritual traditions and community resilience.
Through interdisciplinary research, policy dialogue, and faith-based action, the Laudato Si’ Africa Conference has signaled a bold step forward in mobilising the continent around environmental stewardship as both a spiritual obligation and a developmental imperative.
“This is no longer just about science or economics,” Cardinal Turkson concluded. “It is about moral courage and our responsibility to future generations.”
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