PRESS RELEASE
Laudato Youth Initiative Announces 2026 Theme: “On the Path to Building Ecological Hope and Peace”
Inspired by the Year of Saint Francis of Assisi
January 2026
The Laudato Youth Initiative will dedicate its activities in 2026 in honor of the Year of Saint Francis of Assisi, proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV on the 800th anniversary of the Saint’s death. January 10 January 2026, to 10 January 2027, offers all of us an opportunity to encounter God, the peace of Christ, and ecological hope by imitating Saint Francis.
Our theme for 2026 encapsulates our core aim: to inspire young people to become active agents of ecological hope and peace, grounded in the example of Saint Francis, as it reads “On the Path to Building Ecological Hope and Peace.”
Saint Francis of Assisi’s life demonstrates how God’s mercy works through those open to His grace. His embrace of simplicity, poverty, and universal love is a timely response to today’s challenges: climate change, social injustice, and peace. Therefore, these call for urgent action rather than mere conversations. Our Laudato Youth Initiative leaders spent profound days of reflection and crowned it with a tree-planting event that will continue our one-million-tree planting drive, which now stands at 214,675 trees planted so far.
This Jubilee Year powerfully reinforces our mission: to unite youth for climate action guided by faith, justice, and care for our common home. Saint Francis inspires us to live transformative change through self-giving love, responsible resource use, and solidarity with those most in need. During our upcoming Laudato Si Green Festivals in Jinja Diocese and Fort Portal Diocese, the focus will be on nurturing future stewards and leading young people to inspire communities to develop sustainable solutions innovatively.
Saint Francis shows that the poor are our neighbors, deserving dignity and care. This Year calls us to teach young people to care for the vulnerable, seeing Christ in them. Pope Francis was so passionate about the plight of the poor, and he will also honor his legacy and celebrate his death anniversary.
This Jubilee invites a change of heart. True conversion calls us to detach from selfishness and indifference. Through prayer, mercy, and reconciliation, our youth in Laudato Si clubs will be encouraged to live with freedom and responsibility that enhances integral ecology and celebrate our interconnectedness embedded in caring for the environment in simpler and manageable ways, including saying no to plastic in their school compounds, caring for trees, managing climate-smart kitchen gardens, etc.
Saint Francis teaches that true peace comes from a changed heart. Lasting peace is built on humility, fraternity, and care for creation, not self-interest.
The Year of Saint Francis invites us to deepen faith, strengthen community, focus on meaningful prayer, choose simplicity over consumption, and care for creation as an act of love.
As the Apostolic Penitentiary reminds us: “This Year of Saint Francis should inspire each of us, in our own way, to follow the Poor Man of Assisi.”
Laudato Youth Initiative joyfully rises to this call. With Saint Francis as our inspiration, we motivate young people to build ecological hope and peace, believing God’s grace can transform weaknesses into renewal for the Church and world.
