Church and Ecology: Portuguese Youth planted a tree in Castel Gandolfo, following up on the commitment made at WYD 2023

With the support of the John Paul II Foundation for Youth, the promotion of a global plantation that will remain in place after World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon continues.

The President of theJohn Paul II Foundation for Youth, Daniele Bruno, participated in a significant initiative that took place on October 3 in the Borgo Laudato Si', in Castelgandolfo (Italy).

The National Office for Youth Ministry of the Catholic Church in Portugal planted a cork oak tree in the “Borgo Laudato Si”, the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, on behalf of the young Portuguese people who participated in the Jubilee in July.

The ecological commitment was made at WYD Lisbon 2023. Carmo Diniz, head of sustainability for WYD Lisbon 2023 and advisor to the John Paul II Youth Foundation, emphasized the continuity of the ecological commitment made in 2023: "It is a great joy to be in Rome, in Castel Gandolfo, in such a special place as the ‘Borgo Laudato Si’ . At WYD 2023, we wanted to promote a worldwide planting that would last over time, and with the support of theJohn Paul II Foundation for Youth, the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, and the National Department of Youth Ministry, we made it possible to plant this cork oak tree. This gesture shows the unity of the Church in Portugal in caring for our Common Home, giving back to nature part of what it gives us.“

The ”GIVE BACK - Integral Ecology" project: planting 25,025 trees to offset the ecological footprint of the travels of the 11,527 young Portuguese people who participated in the Youth Jubilee

The choice of the cork oak—a tree that symbolizes Portugal and resilience—gives continuity to the gesture that began at WYD Lisbon 2023, when young people from all over the world planted more than 18,500 trees. This planting is part of the "GIVE BACK - Integral Ecology" project of the Portuguese National Office for Youth Ministry, as part of the 2025 Jubilee journey, which involves planting 25,025 trees in Portugal to offset the ecological footprint of the journeys of the 11,527 young Portuguese people who participated in the Jubilee in August this year. An olive tree was also planted on June 27 in Pope Francis Park in Loures.

The gesture took place in conjunction with the international conference “Raising Hope for Climate Justice,” inaugurated on Wednesday by Pope Leo XIV, as part of the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis' ecological and social encyclical “Laudato Si.”

Among those present at the event, received by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Director General of the “Laudato Si” Training Center, were the Portuguese delegation - with Carmo Diniz, advisor to our Foundation, and several young people; the Portuguese Ambassador to the Holy See, Maria Amélia Maio de Paiva; João Camilo Costa, advisor and head of the consular section of the Portuguese Embassy in Italy; and Daniele Bruno, President of the John Paul II Foundation for Youth.