Uganda, under the leadership of the Catholic Church, is taking center stage in Africa’s quest for ecological and social renewal by hosting the International Conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ encyclical.
From July 23 to 25, 2025, at the Bethany Land Institute in Nandere, Kasana-Luweero Diocese, experts, religious leaders, policymakers, academics, and activists from across Africa and beyond are gathering to share innovative solutions and collaborative strategies to Africa’s pressing environmental challenges.
The Laudato Si’ Africa Conference emphasizes the unique realities facing the continent, including climate justice, environmental degradation, sustainable agriculture, and food security, while linking these issues to Integral Ecology and Integral Human Development.
Africa’s disproportionate vulnerability to global ecological crises makes the conference’s mission both urgent and transformative.
By reflecting on the progress made since the release of Laudato Si’, the conference seeks to empower grassroots movements and amplify African voices in the global environmental discourse.
It aims to strengthen partnerships across regions, including insights from Latin America, fostering a rich exchange of ideas to drive sustainable change.
Leading figures such as Papal Delegate Cardinal Peter Turkson, outgoing Papal Nuncio Archbishop Luigi Bianco, Archbishop of Kampala His Grace Paul Ssemogerere, and Bishop Lawrence Mukasa of Kasana Luweero Diocese are among the distinguished participants demonstrating the Church’s commitment to ecological stewardship.
Spearheaded by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Katongole, a renowned theologian and peace scholar from the University of Notre Dame, this conference positions Africa not just as a continent vulnerable to ecological crisis but as a dynamic force for integral ecological transformation.
By Francis Jjunju
23rd July 2025
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