A Momentous Summer

Conference at BLI

Dear BLI family and friends,

I hope you have had a good and restful summer. Mine was quite busy and productive, including a major international conference: The Laudato Si’ Africa Conference, held at BLI's campus in Uganda in July. This milestone event marked the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ and brought together over 140 participants from more than 20 countries across three continents to reflect on the reception, impact, and ongoing work of Laudato Si: On the Care of our Common Home in Africa and around the world. The delegates included religious leaders, scholars, practitioners, policy makers, practitioners, and activists. Our third cohort of Caretakers was also commissioned during the Conference (seen in the photo above). Among the highlights of the conference:

• A key note address from Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences in the Vatican and a key figure in the drafting of Laudato Si’. He reflected on seven Cs that inform the vision and goal of Laudato Si’: Continuity, Collegiality, Conversation, Care, Citizenship, Contemplation, and Conversion. You can see some highlights from his speech, along with an overview of the conference here:

• Rich conversations by participants, structured in the “African palaver” style, a traditional form of open discussion, dialogue, and consensus-building in which a community gathers to address important matters.

• Immersion Experiences, over the three days, by participants in the learning centers of BLI, namely Mary’s Farm, Lazarus Forest, and Martha’s Market.

While there were many gifts from the conference, I would like to highlight three that have great significance for where and how we go from here as BLI.

First, the gift of hope. While the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor continues to be heard across much of Africa, made more urgent by the realities of civil wars, pollution, environmental degradation, and increasing levels of unemployment and poverty, the stories shared by participants of efforts, initiatives, and programs undertaken in their communities in the spirit of Laudato Si, confirmed that “not all is lost” (L.S. 205). I was particularly encouraged by the commitment, energy, and leadership of many young people engaging schools, parishes, and communities in education and activism around environment issues. The coming together of various actors is an important reminder that one is not alone on this journey; we are united together on a mission to answer this call.

Second, the gift of BLI. In my closing remarks to the conference, I pointed at BLI as a model of integral ecology, a “parable in practice” of what a regenerated future of land, economics, and livelihoods in Africa looks like. The conference confirmed that BLI's unique gift is to be a place of learning, gathering, research, and innovation around Integral Ecology, which is consistent with BLI’s 2029 Strategic Vision that positions BLI as a “center for excellence.” A number of media reports following the conference highlighted the work underway at BLI. Please see the links below.

Finally, the conference provided networking: the strengthening of old partnerships and the building of new partnerships. Over the next few years, we will be working to strengthen these connections and partnerships, including with the University of Notre Dame (which was the major sponsor of the conference and represented by Fr. Dan Groody, ND Vice President and Associate Provost, and 22 faculty, staff, and graduate students), Taproot Earth, the Laudato Youth Initiative, the Laudato Si Action Platform, Borgo Laudato Si, Pactpan, and many others.

Thank you for your continued love and support for BLI,



Fr. Emmanuel Katongole

BLI President & Co-Founder

MEDIA LINKS:



Laudato Si' Action Platform Feature

National Catholic Reporter Article

The Independent Conference Overview

Uganda Radio Network Audio Clips