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Network of Catholic Youth in Africa Commit to Protect “God’s handiwork” amid Pollution

Members of the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) in Ghana. Credit: CYNESA

Members of the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) are committing to take initiatives that contribute to the protection of “God’s handiwork” amid environmental concerns. 

In a statement published Monday, June 5, CYNESA members say they are “deeply concerned by the threats posed to current and future generations and our common home by the existential triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity and pollution.”

In the statement that they issued during the CYNESA Assembly marking the eighth anniversary of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter on the Care of Our Common Home, Laudato Si’, the Network of Catholic youth commit to “live up to the fullest of our talents, gifts and potentials to be protectors of God’s handiwork.”

“We the young people of faith from diverse communities, diverse cultures of Africa and beyond…commit to get involved in and take part in constant, constructive, and progressive dialogue with other young people living on this planet to create awareness and sensitize them to act in their communities for the care of our common home,” they further say.

The youth also pledge to “engage in individual and collective action to halt biodiversity loss and contribute to its restoration in line with post-2020 global biodiversity framework.”

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Members of the platform established in January 2012 to promote responsible stewardship of the environment pledge to engage members of their respective communities in dialogue and actions towards the care of the environment.

“We shall engage in individual and collective action to help our communities to mitigate, and avert the detrimental effects of climate change in our communities,” they say.

CYNESA members add that they will “initiate and engage actively in sustainable concrete projects in our communities to safeguard God’s creation.”

They also commit to “engage actively and take part in policymaking and policymaking forums while working towards becoming policymakers ourselves by vying for local, subnational and regional leadership positions.” 

The Catholic youth further say they will “use the power of our youthfulness to say no to plastics and plastic pollution.”

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They also commit to involving themselves in “constant, constructive, and progressive dialogue with other young people living on this planet to create awareness and sensitize them to act in their communities for the care of our common home.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.