By December 8, 2018, Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ was on the second leg of his trip to Asia Pacific: Manila, Philippines. He had flown in from Vietnam where he visited Jesuit communities and participated in province events. Fr General said: “I am happy to meet not only so many Jesuits from the Philippine Province, but also a good number of Jesuits from many other parts of the world who are connected to the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. As you know, two of my 14 General Counselors are Filipinos! So, it is good to finally see where they come from, and to get to know more about this province and the common works of JCAP here in Manila.”
On December 9, Fr General went to Kalookan City, an area plagued by extra-judicial killings related to the war on illegal drugs. The Philippine Province established Sacred Heart Mission Station, in collaboration with Bishop Pablo Virgilio David DD, who spearheaded a community-based drug rehabilitation programme.
Next, Fr General went to Cebu, to visit the Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. He also blessed the Cor Jesu Chapel of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu on December 12.
Fr General’s next stop was in Cagayan de Oro, where he saw the housing community for displaced families organised by Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, the first Jesuit university in the Philippines. He also visited St John Vianney Theological Seminary, where he gave them the advice of Pope Francis: to be close to the people, to listen to the people because “the presbyterium is not an exclusive group of experts”, and finally to commit to proclaim the Gospel, the primary ministry of the priest. Fr General said the Society’s work in Mindanao was about becoming “universities of hope, parishes of hope and seminaries of hope”.
During his meeting with the Jesuits in formation, Fr General spoke about “the process of discernment of universal apostolic preferences that has been going throughout the Society for the past year”. Fr General shared: “We are rediscovering spiritual conversation and discernment in common, and this itself is a grace.”