Before they left for Rome, some delegates from the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific spoke of their hopes for General Congregation 36.
For JCAP President Fr Mark Raper SJ, the 36th General Congregation is an occasion to refine the Society’s governance approach. “A new team and a new general offer us the opportunity of putting into place and refining, or tweaking a little, the structures of governance that were developed quite nicely in the 35th General Congregation,” said Fr Raper who is in the Governance Commission for General Congregation 36.
Fr Joaquim Sarmento SJ, Delegate of the Jesuit Region of Timor-Leste, stressed the importance of listening to the call of Jesus as well as the aspirations of Pope Francis in defining a new direction for the Jesuits that is responsive to the needs of the times.
“My hope is that General Congregation 36 will be able to listen to the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd, to the call of Christ the King, to the new direction for the Jesuits and their involvement in what our world today needs most… as well as to the aspirations of Holy Father Francis during his Pontificate,” he said. “I also hope that the general congregation will be able to elect a general for our time, one who will be able to bring forward the aspirations of the general congregation.”
Philippine Jesuit Provincial Fr Antonio Moreno SJ voiced the same hope.
“I hope that we can elect the right leader, our new Father General, the right person for the right time, and in this present context. Our world is in need of reform, and Pope Francis himself has led this crusade to renew and reform our world and our Church,” said Fr Moreno. “I hope that we will be in sync with the clarion call of Pope Francis.”
Korean Jesuit Provincial Fr John Chong Che-chon SJ feels that Jesuits have a mission to implement the teachings of the Second Vatican Council which have been fostered by Pope Francis in declaring the Year of Consecrated Life last year and the Year of Mercy this year.
Thus his hope is “that we Jesuits stand in the frontline of the Church to witness the merciful God by showing the merciful faces of God from various angles … that we may witness the goodness of the Gospel in a manner adapted to our contemporary culture and language.”
Fr Brian McCoy SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits in Australia, spoke to what he sees as a great need for our time.
“I hope that GC 36 will recognise what it means for Jesuits to be men, males in a world where almost every day it seems there is more and more violence condoned, supported and perpetrated by men,” he said. “As a religious community of men, we Jesuits, myself included, cannot avoid facing the violence done by men in our world.
“To be a Jesuit, a man who seeks to walk ‘under the gaze of Jesus’ and ‘under the standard of the Cross’ means being humble, not seeking to control and hold onto power. It means being strong and protective, gentle and forgiving, willing and wanting to be a companion and servant with Christ,” he expounded. “If we Jesuits can embrace this journey, this deeper reflection on what it means to be men in our world and in our different cultures, I am hoping a new humility will emerge to support a stronger role and voice of women in the Church, a stronger presence of them on our boards and councils, and our being companions with them. It will be taking one more important step forward in implementing Decrees 2 and 4 of GC 34.”
The full interviews can be found here.