Fort Portal Diocese Youth Conference Inspires a New Generation of Pilgrims of Green Hope.

Each year, the Fort Portal Diocese hosts one of its most anticipated events—the Annual Youth Conference, gathering over 5,000 young people for a week of spiritual growth, formation, and goal setting. This year’s gathering took on special significance as it aligned with the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’,  Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on care for our common home, and the Jubilee Year of the Church.

Inspired by the Jubilee year, the Laudato youth initiative took on the theme, “Pilgrims of Green Hope,”. This year’s conference offered much more than inspiration; it mobilized young people to live out the vision of Pope Francis through action, reflection, and stewardship. Our Laudato youth leaders present offered insightful reflections on what it means to lead a life of values through caring for the internal and external environment. Immaculate highlighted the importance of;

Caring for Biodiversity and Creation

She began by appreciating the efforts of the Laudato Si Club and its visibility event at the event leading environmental activities that included tree planting, managing plastic waste, and encouraging participants to take trees home to plant in their communities. But beyond these visible acts, the initiative leader emphasized a deeper call: to reawaken the sacred bond between humanity and the Earth. She called upon the youth to pay keen attention to the Biodiversity loss, deforestation, and pollution that are not only ecological issues, they also moral issues. Therefore, appealing to them to participate in activities that would benefit their economic growth and restore ecosystems, for instance, using organic manure from animals to grow crops, and integrating indigenous knowledge into conservation. Young people are not just beneficiaries of nature, but guardians of it for a brighter future.

Laudato Si’ and Catholic Social Teachings

Invited young people to reflect on the teachings of Pope Francis taught that creation is a gift from God, not a commodity to exploit. His message links seamlessly with Catholic Social Teaching, especially the principles of solidarity, simplicity (kwenihira), and care for the poor. Creation care becomes spiritual when we act with open hearts, grounded in faith and justice. We are called to be more than environmentalists—we are to become ecological disciples: prayerful, humble, and deeply rooted in our Catholic tradition.

Honoring the Whole Person

Caring for creation includes caring for ourselves. As 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” That means promoting physical health, safe living, and hygiene—but also addressing mental health challenges like anxiety, climate grief, and societal pressure. Many youth, especially young women, face unique struggles in our rapidly changing world. She emphasised that Education, hard work, for instance, embracing modern farming ( Smart Agriculture, Poultry raring, Pig raring, Fish raring, Dairy Farming, Planting Forests, and keeping Rabbits for very young people to learn how to grow economically) Immaculate emphasised that every young person must be hard working and embrace humility if they are to grow in value through appreciating economic growth that comes with appreciating nature. I emphasize these because they are foundational African values that made our parents succeed in life and raise us up well. Whether we go to universities to study, we must maintain these values in our homes. I  recently wrote an article about mental health, and my message was “We cannot claim to protect the planet while ignoring the silent storms within our hearts and minds. Healing the Earth must begin with healing ourselves.”

Mental health comes with peace of heart and mind. Nature supports mental health because spaces like the eco-reconciliation gardens are needed in our homes, cities, and parishes, but we need to work hard and plant them if they are to exist. When you visit Holy Cross St. Adolf Parish in Knayabachope, you will see living examples of how we can foster healing, places where young people can rest, pray, and reconnect with nature. We need more such arrangements and structures in every school, university, and parish.

Skills and Livelihoods for Youth

Environmental stewardship isn’t only about protection—it’s also about empowerment. As young people, we need to learn practical skills like composting, smart farming, upcycling, and creating eco-bricks from waste. You may be aware that our country, Uganda, is currently battling with poor waste management and poor dumping practices.  Solving these not only contributes to sustainability but also opens paths to entrepreneurship, dignity, and self-reliance. Every tree planted, every plastic item reused, and every herbal garden started is a step toward building a more resilient future.

The Power of Media and Prayer

Fellow young people, most of us have access to the two powerful tools in our hands, firstly the rosary (Prayer) and if we talk in the mordern times I can also say the phone because almost everyone has it and spend more time on the Media but the question remains what do we use it for?. When the media is used responsibly, it is a tool of transformation. I challenge you, fellow young people, to flood your digital spaces with messages of hope and innovations for intellectual growth, not despair. There are a lot of useful resources on the internet. What you search is what you get. learning to use tools like AI for the good can be life-changing, connecting it to the Jubilee year that calls us to be ambassadors of hope, even on the internet. Not to fall into the trap of the consumerist face of social media, which makes people portray images of what they are not, but we need to know that the mother church has a lot to teach us as youth. This is the Jubilee Year of Hope is a call for faith and action. And at the heart of it all is prayer. As Pope Francis always reminded us, “Nothing in this world is indifferent to us.” Prayer keeps us grounded in God’s love and gives us the courage to act.

A Living Tribute to Pope Francis

The Laudato Youth Initiative, in its effort to form a generation of people who will be a living tribute to Pope Francis’ vision of an integrated, just, and sustainable world, invites us to care for creation in all its forms: our Earth, our bodies, our minds, and our communities. As young people of Fort Portal Diocese, I urge you to carry forward this legacy. Our home is the pearl of Uganda, and the tourism city, but we have a role to make it a dream destination for visitors by preserving its spiritual heritage and natural beauty. We thank our Bishop Akiiki. Our Lady of Snows Virika Cathedral was well renovated, and we are all here to renew our hearts. All these programs are meant to help us build a sustainable future. May we see them as opportunities to be explored and as pilgrims of green hope and stewards of the future. Together, through faith and action, we shall build a more just, sustainable, and joyful world.