YOUTH AND JUBILEE
The front cover portrays faces of various youth leaders from the parish of Regina Mundi in Soweto. This parish played a significant role during the 1976 uprisings, protecting those who took refuge in its shelter. Nearly 50 years later, these young men and women represent the hope for a better South Africa, where youth can exercise a meaningful role in society and in the Church, where their talents can be recognized and their voices heard. May their dreams for a bright future and a fruitful discipleship of Jesus be fulfilled.
RADAR
LAUDATO SI’ YOUTH ASSEMBLY
The Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) is set to host the Third Laudato Si’ Youth Assembly in Accra, Ghana, from 30 May to 1 June 2025.
BY GABRIEL ASEMPA ANTWI, ACCRA.
THEMED “A Decade of Laudato Si’: Journeying Together in Hope for Our Common Home,” the gathering will bring together youth from across Africa to reflect, mobilise, and renew their commitment to environmental justice and ecological conversion.
The Green Lent campaign
The event will coincide with the broader Jubilee Year of Hope and the decennial commemorations of both Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’ and the Paris Agreement—a global turning point in the fight against climate change.
Over 100 youth participants of various faiths are expected to engage in dialogue, advocacy, and action-oriented programming aimed at addressing the pressing environmental and social challenges of our time.
Francisca Dommetieru Ziniel, CYNESA’s West Africa Regional Coordinator, told Vatican News that Ghana had earned its place as host of this year’s assembly. “Ghana has been at the forefront of environmental advocacy, especially through youth-led campaigns against illegal mining, known locally as Galamsey, and through our annual Green Lent campaign, which promotes sustainable living,” she said.
“This assembly offers an opportunity to amplify those efforts and position young people as leaders in the fight for ecological justice,” she added.
‘Journeying Together in Hope’ march
The 3-day program will include reflective sessions on the climate crisis using the See-Judge-Act method, panel discussions on the impacts of the Paris Agreement, and an anti-Galamsey march under the theme “Journeying Together in Hope.” The event will culminate in the drafting of a Youth of Faith position paper—a declaration on the state of environmental action a decade after Laudato Si’ and and the Paris Agreement. Successful gatherings were held previously in Arusha and Nairobi, which have collectively engaged hundreds of young people in ecological education and community mobilisation.
Source: Vaticannews.va
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