By Laudato Voices | Dilexi Te | October 23, 2025
As Catholic youth, we are called to live our faith actively and meaningfully in our families, institutions and communities to nurture our values and prepare for a better future. Our recent events have reminded us of this sacred duty. From starting the Jubilee Year of Hope with a theme “Pilgrims of Green Hope” to a turning point of commitment Honoring Pope Francis – The father of the encyclical Laudato Si after his death reflecting on his life and ecological legacy an inspiration to carry forward through keeping a live life message in Laudato Si as (a gift he left to the church) to celebrating 10 Years of Laudato Si’ enyclical Laudato Si and honoring his the legacy , to participating in the Vatican Africa Climate Summit , organising our second Laudato Si Green Festival in Jinja, reflecting on the SECAM Climate Resolutions, presenting at the Laudato Si Africa Conference, Participating in the Raising Hope Conference and now the recently concluded Global Rosary for Peace which ended with the chanting of the Prayer of St. Francis “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace“.
Global Rosary for Peace
Well we participated in the Global Rosary for Peace, led by the Congregation of Holy Cross and Holy Cross Family Ministries where thousands of people around the world prayed for peace and unity on the feast of St. John Paul II Known for his instrumental work in promoting social justice. The countless comments and testimonies that were flowing on the chats showed how our world is in greater need or thirst for peace in from individuals, to families, communities, institutions and nations. With all this we reflect on this months as a special month because the Church also received a significant new document: Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You), the first apostolic exhortation of Pope Leo XIV, which completes a teaching document begun by Pope Francis (Vatican News, 2025). We see the realities of our families, countries and world today need more reflection especially to shape the future of the younger generations. Domestic violence, conflict, injustices, wars and ecological crises all impact young people and their future and as our Country Uganda prepare for elections young people must be guided and safe guarded and so are the poor. Pope Leo’s message in Dilexi Te invites us to refocus on the core principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST).
The invitation from Dilexi Te
In Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV calls us to contemplate Christ’s love so that we may become more attentive to the sufferings of others and take part in His work of liberation:
“Contemplating the love of Christ helps us to become more attentive to the suffering and needs of others and strengthens us to participate in his work of liberation” (Dilexi Te, 2025, no. 2).
He reminds us that love of neighbor is “tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God” (Dilexi Te, 2025, no. 26). This teaching echoes the heart of CST: the dignity of every human person, solidarity, the preferential option for the poor, the pursuit of the common good, and care for creation (Cernuzio, 2025).
The Global Rosary for Peace and the Catholic Social Teachings
Our shared experience of the Global Rosary for Peace reflects this same call. Through prayer, we acknowledged that peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of justice. Dilexi Te reminds us that faith and charity cannot be separated: “Faith that is not expressed through love for the poor risks becoming sterile” (Dilexi Te, 2025, no. 15). As Pope Leo XIV teaches, charity is not an option but a requirement of authentic discipleship (Catholic News Agency, 2025). Our prayer must lead to concrete acts of service and social transformation.
The Catholic Social Teaching in Light of Dilexi Te
- Human Dignity: Each person is created in God’s image. Pope Leo XIV reminds us that “to become poor with Christ is not a marginal theme but lies at the center of the Gospel” (Dilexi Te, 2025, no. 16).
- Option for the Poor: The poor are not merely recipients of charity but reveal the face of Christ to the world. “If we wish to remain within the great current of the Church’s life … the poor cannot be neglected” (Dilexi Te, 2025, no. 15).
- Solidarity and the Common Good: The Pope challenges unjust structures that promote exclusion and economic inequality (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, 2025).
- Care for Creation: Echoing Laudato Si’, Dilexi Te connects care for the poor with care for the earth, warning against the “culture of waste” that disregards both creation and the vulnerable (Cernuzio, 2025).
Young people can be witnesses of hope (Change Makers)
For young people, Dilexi Te is both a challenge and a consolation. It urges us not to lose hope but to act. The Laudato Youth Initiative finds strength in this message, seeing it as an encouragement to step forward courageously to be the change we wish to see in our world. Through this exhortation, Pope Leo XIV assures us that our faith is credible when it is lived out in justice, peace, and love (Vatican News, 2025).
Practical Steps for Action
1. We need to open up more and create opportunities for young people to reflect on Dilexi Te in youth groups (our Laudato Si Clubs are priotising such) discussing what Christ’s love for the and young people poor means in our personal, community, institutional and local church context. We all have the poor in our communities so this is a reality in our midist and needs our action in every small way we can.
2. Link prayer with mission, after each rosary for peace and our Laudato Si Masses, we have learnt alot but more importantly to take on a work of mercy: feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, or caring for creation.
3. Act for creation: Our activities at Laudato Youth Initiative are community and action based (that the gift we bring in our African Interpretation of Laudato Si) as a spiritual document that calls us to communion crowned in our Motto (United for climate Action) with the Ubuntu philosophy at the back of our action based programs that organize clean-up drives, tree planting, sustainability action activities etc.
4. Engage civically: As our nation prepares for elections, we look forward to sharing on the work on John Paull II justice and Peace guide young people to discern how to exercise their voting right without harming themsleves but rather and act for the common good.
5. Communicate hope: Our message from is always centred on hope. Young people have heard enough of overwhelming and frightening stories, thats why our approach to integral ecology is to share stories of hope with fellow young people living out CST in our Laudato Si Clubs, online and in our Laudato Voices Quarterly Magazine. Read our 11the Edition of the Laudato Voices Magazine https://laudato-youthinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Laudato-Voices-11th-Edition-AuG-2025.pdf
As youth inspired by the Gospel and Integral Ecology
As youth inspired by the Gospel, we are called to live out Dilexi Te in our daily lives through prayer, service, and environmental stewardship. In the words of Jesus: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink” (Mt 25:35). May Dilexi Te renew in us the courage to love authentically, to act justly, and to work for peace in a world longing for God’s love.
References
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. (2025). Dilexi Te: Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV on Love for the Poor.
Catholic News Agency. (2025, October 4). Pope Leo XIV signs first apostolic exhortation “Dilexi Te.”
Cernuzio, S. (2025, October 10). “Dilexi Te”: Faith cannot be separated from love of the poor. Vatican News.
Leo XIV. (2025, October 4). Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You): Apostolic Exhortation. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
