Catholic Church in Africa Urges World Leaders, Institutions to Urgently Commit to Protect Our Common Home

 by Valerian Kkonde

ACCPU

 

Catholic Communicators at the site in Bugongo on the shores of L. Victoria where the first Catholic missionaries in Uganda- Fr. Lourdel Mapeera and Bro. Amans first set foot on 17th February 1879. The Church's voice plays an important role in the response to the impact of climate change.

This year, for the month of September, the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV is in a special way calling upon the faithful and all humanity to try and go an extra mile to experience the interdependence with all creatures through the inspiration of St. Francis. The Pope further reminds the people that all creatures are loved by God and are worthy of love and respect.

In the same month, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has called upon world leaders and global institutions to consider addressing the climate crisis as a priority, with the urgency and commitment it deserves. SECAM made this global appeal during the Second Africa Climate Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on September 7, 2025.

The global appeal comes at a time when the world is gearing up to the 30th Conference Of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be hosted by Brazil in Belem from 10-21 November 2025. Expectations are that the Conference will accelerate the implementation of climate agreements, most especially the Paris Agreement.

COP30 is further expected to focus on the areas of transitioning to renewable energy, forest and biodiversity protection, climate finance, and building resilience to climate change impacts. Brazil, as a country, is expected to highlight the crucial role of nature, especially the Amazon, in achieving climate goals.

More on the global stage, the UN is increasingly seen as an institution that has failed to unite member states to work for peace and development, in respect to Israel’s genocide in Palestine and other conflicts, turning the world into a wounded and weary place.

Endemic in society today are the structural sins which we do not address.

“We must move beyond the mentality of appearing to be concerned but failing to bring about substantial change. We are still not facing the issues squarely, and the commitments made are weak and hardly fulfilled.

We cannot continue to make excuses; what is needed is courage and determination to move away decisively from fossil fuels, to embrace renewable sources of energy, and to make genuine lifestyle changes for the sake of our common home,” observes SECAM.

As a continent, Africa is ravaged by wars, conflicts and poverty. Africa is enormously endowed with natural resources but unfortunately, these are being plundered by the so-called developed countries. In a way, all these are the result of the good governance crisis, and lack of integrity, that continue to bedevil the continent. The would-be leaders many times become agents for multinational companies and plunder national resources in the name of foreign investors.

L. Victoria the world's second largest fresh water lake is an extraordinary resource shared among Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Rusting metal and the water hyacinth are some of the threats it faces. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

National resources have in effect become the property of Africa’s strongmen, leaving majority nationals wallowing in abject poverty. In Africa, poverty and environmental degradation go hand in hand, and the same can be said of poverty and bad governance.

The voice of the Church plays a crucial role in addressing the devastating impacts of climate change. This is a voice driven by the common good and not power, profits and extortion.

“The Church calls on wealthy nations to repay their ecological debt through transparent, accessible, and no-indebting climate finance. Loss and Damage and Adaptation Funds must be swiftly operationalized, reaching vulnerable communities directly and fostering resilience rather than dependency.”

Currently, many young Senegalese are desperately migrating to Europe in search of greener pastures. Fishing, which is the backbone of their economy, is being plundered by powerful European fishing companies. While many continue to perish in the seas as they ply the Mediterranean in dangerously loaded boats to land on the shores of Europe, and even endure dehumanising treatment, many more keep undertaking the treacherous journeys to flee from the poverty and other injustices.

For Uganda, endowed with the marvels of Lake Victoria- the world’s second largest fresh water lake- many local fishing communities are destabilised by government’s pampering of foreigners. Many Ugandans are finding it too expensive to buy fish; they now settle for the scattered flesh left on the bones grudgingly and sarcastically called “fillets.”

Many fishermen have lost their lives while others have been permanently crippled by government’s zeal to enforce oppressive and dehumanising laws that ensure that the benefits of L. Victoria and other water bodies serve the interests of the foreigners who help keep them in power.

As the Chinese continue to mine sand from L. Victoria and grow rice in Lwera, neighbouring communities are devastated by floods to the extent of being forced from their properties. Schools and health facilities have turned into small lakes and the Katonga bridge was destroyed forcing traffic to far away alternative routes. Markets and other economic activities had to close, forcing residents to uncertain lifestyles.

“As Catholic communities in Africa, we ask the leaders of nations and institutions to recognise their moral duty and commit to urgent and ambitious action to protect our common home and the most vulnerable. Delay and half-measures only deepen the suffering of our people and jeopardise future generations.”

Irresponsible garbage disposal at Luzira Pier is another of the many threats to Lake Victoria. From such sites methane gas which is a key contributor to climate change is produced. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

SECAM maintains that African nations must be compensated for the untold suffering they are forced to endure, leading to health, social and environmental hazards despite contributing least to global emissions.

“This is a matter of justice and solidarity with the poorest and most affected communities. Adaptation efforts must safeguard food security, water systems, and livelihoods, prioritizing the poor and marginalised.”

For its part, SECAM promises to collaborate in educating, mobilising and accompanying affected populations. They however urge the developed countries to “recognise and pay their ecological debt to the Global South, without continuing to indebt our nations through loans disguised as climate aid.”

SECAM has also called upon the perpetrators of this environmental crisis to stop making excuses, but to boldly come out and move away from fossil fuels.

“The future is this renewable energy, namely solar panel. It is crucial to invest in clean energy and upgrade infrastructure to address Africa’s energy poverty,” SECAM urges the leaders.

Justice and respect for one another, especially the developing countries, will play an important role in ensuring sustainable use of the resources. The rich and the poor alike, have a duty to care for and respect creation in a manner that recognises our interdependence.

The calmness of Madagascar, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, was on September 25, 2025 treated to a rude awakening as many young people took to the streets to protest over frequent water shortages and power outages. They demanded for respect for human rights and a dignified lifestyle. This later led to a military coup, gravely affecting every aspect of life!

Madagascar is famed for its vast natural resources including rich mineral deposits, along with significant agricultural potential and favourable climate. The island nation is also exceptionally rich in unique biodiversity, encompassing diverse ecosystems and species found nowhere else on Earth.

But the World Bank estimates indicate that over 70% of its over 30 million population is living below the poverty line.

Bruno Rajaspera, Country Director- Africa, Madagascar- captures well the Island nation’s vulnerability to climate change: “Madagascar’s natural resources are currently under serious threat, and we need to act quickly to reverse the trend of degradation that is exacerbating poverty. Let’s act together to safeguard this natural heritage by mobilising resources and inviting key stakeholders to join our efforts to combat environmental pressures and build a sustainable economy based on the management and restoration of Madagascar’s landscapes and seascapes.”

In Ghana’s capital Accra, Africa witnesses one of the biggest and most dangerous industrial dumping sites on the continent. At Agbogbloshie is the dumping site of Europe’s electronic- waste. At least 40,000 people are estimated to live in this area.

Old televisions, computers and refrigerators are set on fire here, giving off toxic fumes in an area covering 16 square kilometers. These emissions pollute the soil and the water. More so, they leave traces of plastic in the environment.  No wonder it is referred to as the “Toxic city.”

The developing countries lack the infrastructure to sort and recycle the waste. The result is dumping, and then burning of the waste, further complicating the situation for the innocent victims. Poverty and limping health systems turn everything into a crisis: environmental, health, financial, cultural and educational. Every aspect of life is gravely threatened.

 Will the UN regulate and prohibit Europe from exporting plastic waste to poor countries like Ghana? Why do these countries generating these mountains of waste not leave them in their own countries? Who will ensure that the perpetrators of the environmental crisis fulfil their obligation to make good of their promises to pay for these crimes?

Papyrus play a crucial role in filtering all the water from the land before it joins the main lake. Rampart environmental destruction and dangerous waste disposals have destroyed these natural safeguards. Photo by Valerian Kkonde/ ACCPU

SECAM further commits to “establish an Ecclesial Observatory on Climate Justice to monitor implementation of climate pledges and partner with ethical actors to build a green and resilient Africa.”

The Catholic Church in Africa unequivocally advocates for a transformation that puts the care of life at the centre, the sovereignty of indigenous and rural peoples over their territories, and the active defence of the rights of women, climate migrants and new generations.

It is in that regard that the Catholic Church in Africa warns and calls upon humanity to be cognizant of the fact that the injustices, excuses, greed, procrastinations, denials and half-measures all end up devastating our common home.

“The earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor.”