An Open Letter to My New Pope: For the Sake of Uganda’s Environment

By William Lubuulwa

Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV,

Greetings from the green heart of Africa. Well, it used to be greener, but we are working to fix that. I write to you not from a cathedral, but from the echoing chambers of Uganda’s wetlands, from the trembling hills of Bududa, and from the choking traffic of Kampala, where car horns are more faithful than the morning rooster.

I write as a Ugandan, as a Christian, as a communicator, and most importantly, as an environmentalist – deeply concerned about the state of our common home – the environment.

Congratulations, Holy Father, on your elevation to the papacy. As the world looks to you for spiritual leadership, I humbly request that you also become our Earth Shepherd. I long for a pope who speaks climate, biodiversity, and sustainability – languages Mother Earth understands fluently. And your predecessor, Pope Francis, gave us a powerful foundation with a climate encyclical so radical that even climate change cynics in oil-rich boardrooms had to take note. You now have the divine baton, Your Holiness. Please, don’t drop it in polluted water.

Uganda Needs You, Holy Father

Uganda is the Pearl of Africa, but lately, our pearl is scratched, faded, and wrapped in a plastic bag. According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), our country is losing hundreds of square kilometres of wetlands annually. In urban areas such as Kampala, wetland degradation is driven by real estate development, reckless dumping of solid waste, and sometimes, sheer human stubbornness.

With forests, I don’t want to even get started. According to the Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda loses over 120,000 hectares of forest cover every year. That is about 19 football pitches lost per hour – faster than a Manchester United match falling apart. These are not just trees; they are sanctuaries of biodiversity, carbon sinks, and rainmakers. What we need is not just a reforestation campaign, but a reformation of the human heart.

And this is where you come in, dear Pope Leo. You see, when a pope speaks, we listen. Uganda is more than 82% Christian, and Catholics alone make up around 16 million people. When a pope visits, the country pauses. Traffic stops. Political quarrels cease. Even the mosquitoes behave. That means a word from the Pope could move more Ugandans than the National Environment Act, Cap. 181 ever could. If you decreed that confession must include ecological sins such as littering or cutting a tree without replanting, it would shake souls and save our environment.

In 1993, when Pope John Paul II visited Uganda, it was a moment of profound renewal. Hearts of Ugandans were lifted. I imagine what would happen if you, Pope Leo, visited Uganda and declared littering a sin.  We would clean up Kampala overnight. Even boda boda riders would pick up plastic bottles and buveera while carrying three passengers, a mattress, and a goat.

We Should Invite You, Pope

To our dear Government of Uganda, His Holiness is new and fresh. Let us act quickly and officially invite him to our nation. Let the presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Uganda Episcopal Conference coordinate with the Vatican. Let Parliament debate this – yes, even amid disagreements about politics and oil roads. Let all sides agree like it has always been nga mweyongeza omusaala. We need the Pope in Uganda, not only for blessings, but for our environment as well.

Let the purpose of the visit be clear: spiritual revival and ecological renewal. Holy Father, I pray when you come, you add climate action to your sermon notes. I am already imagining you planting a tree in Lwera Wetland, and saying: “Let this not be the last tree to grow here.” Do not visit only the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Namugongo but also wasted forests like Mabira and the agonised River Rwizi. We need to see you bless tree seedlings and baptize waste handlers.

To our dear President, Your Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, while organizing the Pope’s visit, don’t forget to involve NEMA in the planning. We have committed men and women, including environmental educators, enforcement officers, and policy experts. On the day the Pope arrives, I propose – boldly and with due humility – that NEMA officers serve as official ushers. If anyone knows how to deal with crowd control, garbage management, and noisy environments, it is us!

Let Me Touch the Hem of Your Garment

Holy Father, I have one personal request. If, and God willing, when you visit Uganda, allow me, your humble son, to touch the hem of your robe. Not because I seek healing for a disease – unless excitement is one – but because I seek inspiration and divine courage. Maybe – just maybe – that single touch might anoint my words and works, enabling me to speak louder for the trees, the wetlands, and the voiceless creatures whose habitats are vanishing. Like the woman in the Gospels, I believe that sometimes, all it takes is a touch.

I know, Holy Father, that you are busy with matters of theology, diplomacy, and Church protocol. But our Earth is burning, melting, drying, and flooding all at once. We need a moral leader to remind us that creation is not just beautiful; it is sacred. That polluting a river is not just illegal, it is immoral. That a tree cut in greed is a prayer unanswered.

Please lead the Church not only in protecting souls, but also in preserving soils. Let your papacy be the one remembered for preaching salvation and sustainability in the same breath. From Vatican to Kampala City, let your message be clear: “Care for creation is not a choice. It is a command.”

Ready to plant a tree in your name and tweet about it in your honour, I remain your devoted son in Christ,

William Lubuulwa,

Senior Public Relations Officer, NEMA