Young Portuguese launch manifesto for a more open, close and committed Church in the defense of the environment

The young Portuguese present in Rome for the Jubilee celebrations launched a joint manifesto this morning, July 30, calling for a Church that is more open and committed to protecting the environment.

"For a Church of all and for all: we dream of communities where no one is invisible. We value listening, dialogue, and difference. We want a Church with the face of a large village: intergenerational, intercultural, imperfect, but deeply human. A Church that does not wait for us in the temple, but walks with us in the streets," states the text, presented at the end of the celebrations that brought together the national delegation this morning at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

In a statement, the National Department of Youth Ministry (DNPJ) states that “Portuguese youth raised their voices in a symbolic and collective gesture, presenting the manifesto 'A Youth in Manifesto – Generation Lisbon 23 · Rome 25 · Seoul 27'”.

"Born from the journey since WYD Lisbon 2023, this manifesto is an expression of a youth committed to faith, to caring for our Common Home, to peace, and to one. More than 11,000 young Portuguese on pilgrimage for the Youth Jubilee come together to share words of commitment and hope in the house of the Apostle Paul, a symbol of mission and courage," the statement adds.

Young people are concerned about the environmental crisis, emphasizing that “land is a gift, not a resource.”

"We reject a lifestyle that consumes mindlessly, that produces without limits, that lives as if there were a reserve planet. Caring for our Common Home means loving the future, protecting the most vulnerable, and living with simplicity and gratitude," it reads.

Symbolically, the Portuguese delegation was accompanied by a cork oak, to be planted in the 'Borgo Laudato Si', created by Pope Francis in the pontifical residence of Castel Gandolfo.

The Youth Jubilee, which is taking place in Rome until August 3, has 11,527 Portuguese participants, 70 of whom are from the Diocese of Guarda , the largest delegation at an event of its kind abroad.

* GUARDA with Carlos Borges, sent by the ECCLESIA Agency to the Youth Jubilee