It is very rare that religious leaders world over embrace science and go in depth to carry out studies about the same.

However this is not the case with the Religious world leader Pope Francis who does the contrary because he is a scientist by profession to be exact a chemist.

Much as scientists were already conducting research in assessing the level of climate change effects affecting mother earth and coming out with mitigation measures, Pope Francis was far ahead and in 2015 he wrote the letter termed  “Laudato SI Encyclical  letter of the Holy Father Francis on the care for our common home”.

This opened the eyes of scientists and global scientists to call for the first climate change meeting in December 2015 which led to signing of the climate change Paris agreement.

The agreement called for limiting global warming carbon at 1.5 degrees Celsius which entered into force in October 4^th 2016.

The Pope’s letter the first of its kind was explaining how climate change is already affecting the universe and the environment.

Pope Francis called for an urgent need for the Church and scientists to disseminate the information for people to take action and precaution measures.

Background

The Popes Education background is that he studied chemistry and worked as a chemist prior to entering the seminary.

He is graduate with a titula in chemistry from the Escuela Técnica Industrial No. 12 in Argentina his home country which is a state-run technical secondary school and he lectured students in this subject for quite some time and worked as a food Chemist before becoming a Priest.

The writer interacted with the Comboni Missionary Priest Rev Fr Kennedy Onoba who is the Director of Laudato SI headquartered at Our Lady of Africa Catholic Church Mbuya.

He gives a detailed account about how the Church globally is implementing the letter of Pope Francis in as far as Climate change and the environment is concerned.

He explains that the Italian word “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore means Praise to be to you my Lord.

The beginning of the letter referred to as Canticle is an insight of the words of Saint Francis of Assisi which reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.

The Popes introductory message says Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs.

This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed the earth.

“We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life,”

This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail”

“We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her water,”

The Pope therefore called for immediate action which is a responsibility of everyone to apply mitigation measures to help solve challenges arising from climate change.

The basis of Pope Francis call in mitigating climate change

Rev Fr Onoba explained that Pope Francis and his team of Scientists involved deep in studying the planet boundaries which consists of 9 segments.

They include climate change, biodiversity loss including wetlands  which he refers to as change in biosphere integrity, stratospheric ozone depletion, ocean acidification, biogeochemical flows (nitrogen and phosphorus cycles including heavy carbon concertation in the ocean, land-system change deforestation, freshwater use, atmospheric aerosol loading and introduction of novel entities into the biosphere including new chemicals. 

However the Pope put emphasis in the first six planet boundaries which he urged must be addressed as a climate change challenge excluding.

After analyzing the planetary boundaries, the Pope in his letter tasked the Catholic Institutions to immediately disseminate his letter where he asked humanity to observe what is happening on Earth, judge and act.

Effects of the concerned planetary boundaries

Ocean Acidification

Pope Francis and his scientists went ahead to explain that there is too much carbon acidification in the ocean caused by industrial chemical pollution which end up in the ocean and later evaporate to the air causing climate challenge.

Right now the carbon dioxide concertation in the atmosphere is 350 Parts Per Million (PPM).

The recommended upper limit is 450 PPM and once it supposes by 0.1 PPM, the Earth will crush because the load will be too much for it hold.

These carbon dioxide are as a result of human activity including those occurring as a sign of sunrays. If the carbon dioxide is heavy in the atmosphere, it will block evaporation of green gases to the same atmosphere.

Change in biosphere integrity

The Pope explains that all creation of God  have their function and purpose but human action is destroying the biosphere causing fresh water pollution, environmental degradation especially wetlands and water bodies leading to aquatic loss.

Land change system

The Pope emphasized the dangers caused as a result of deforestation across the globe yet trees play a critical role in cleaning the atmosphere by absorbing the emission in the atmosphere.

Poor agricultural practices where farmers are embracing chemical application which is a danger to the soil, water bodies and the entire atmosphere.

The Role of the Church in implementing Laudato SI

According to Rev Fr Onoba, Pope Francis wrote the second letter, the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum on October 4, 2023. The Vatican released it on that day, which is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Laudate Deum is a follow up to Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato SI. The title translates to "Praise God". The letter is an environmental exhortation that calls for urgent action on climate change. 

The Catholic Church across the globe is implementing both letters starting with the Dicastery for Integrity Development, the Vatican department charged to promote integral ecology.

The Comboni missionaries started the action of implementing the two letters of the Pope during their 19^th general Chapter in Rome with focus on protecting the integral ecology.

Each Comboni missionary chapter across the world is charged with implementing the two documents of the Pope with the Uganda chapter which began its activities in 2023.

Actions taken in Uganda

The Laudato SI communication and liaison officer Alfred Okumu explained to Daily Monitor that the team works with partners including National Forestry Authority and Tree talk which gives them free indigenous tree seedlings and Fruit seedlings which have been distributed to three Primary Schools.

They are St Kizito Primary School Buglobi, St Paul Primary School Band and St Daniel Comboni Primary School Kasana Luwero

Much emphasis is put on fruit tree distribution which will act both as food for the children but also as carbon source because it is rare that people cut fruit trees.

Three zero clubs have been formed in the three schools and pupils sensitized on the subjects which include zero hunger and zero poverty by embracing fruit farming, zero emission by applying good practices of environmental management

The team has 4.7 acre demonstration farm at Kasala Parish in Kasana Luwero where they have planted fruit trees such as avocado, soursop, mangos, papaw, pineapple, citrus, watermelon, jackfruit, pineapple and indigenous trees such as acacia, ficus, cordia, mahogany and mivule among others

They are also processing seedlings which is given to the communities for planting.

Other partners are the Catholic workers movement and Christian Youth Missionary Group who carry out sensitization programmes in Radio Maria about mitigation measures to curb climate change effects.

They have tackled topics about waste management including encouraging communities to sort solid waste before it is collected by the charged Authorities.

Communities have been sensitized on using environmental friendly shopping bags by avoid use of plastic bags.

Other sensitization topics tackled are management of e- waste where communities are called to carry out responsible disposal of used electrical gadgets which when dumped and littered everywhere can turn out to be a challenge to the soil.

 It may result to emitting methane from hazardous chemical leading to green gas emission to the atmosphere.

Environment clubs have been formed in the three schools and the surrounding communities and sensitized on waste management and hygiene.

The teams objective is to reach the entire community across the country because so far the there is a call for their service in Gulu Arch Diocese, Nebbi Diocese and Mbarara Arch Diocese.

Challenges and recommendations

Rev Fr Onoba explained that at the moment since the initiative is beginning, his team is faced with financial challenges for running activities across the country.

He however recommends that the entire community in Uganda and across the globe must take climate change issues serious and endeavor to adopt human practices which are favorable to the climate.

He advised that since much of the pollution is caused by fumes from vehicle, adoption of electric vehicles is key and use of climate friendly energy is the best way to go.

Communities are advised to minimize the culture of irresponsible waste dumping and above all planting trees is the way to go.