Superior General of the Society of Jesus Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ is set to visit Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan in the next three weeks. This is Fr Sosa’s third official trip to the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific after visiting Vietnam and the Philippines last year, and Indonesia and Cambodia in 2017.
A big part of Fr General’s visits to the different conferences is to learn more about the Jesuits and their commitments in their places of work. In Asia Pacific where only three per cent of the population is Catholic, the call is clear for dialogue with religious traditions and various cultures.
In Korea, where he begins his trip on July 15, Fr Sosa will not only be meeting with the Korean Jesuits to animate and inspire them with the Universal Apostolic Preferences but also to understand the various contexts in which they work. One of these is in their mission of reconciliation. On July 16, Fr Sosa will visit Panmunjom, a small village located in the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on the border of North Korea. The DMZ was established after the Korean War to serve as buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea.
Throughout his three days’ stay, Fr General will also learn of the intellectual apostolate and the youth ministry of the province from meetings with collaborators, staff and students of Sogang University, Jesuits in formation and young people.
Fr Sosa will next visit the Chinese Province where he will make stops in Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan. His activities will centre around the theme, “Ignatian bridge building” and will thus include many meetings with Jesuits and lay collaborators.
From July 18 to 19, Fr Sosa will meet with lay collaborators from the two schools in Macau, Colegio Estrela do Mar and Colegio Mateus Ricci, where he will take part in the graduation ceremonies. He will also meet with the staff of Macau Ricci Institute, a study and research institution dedicated to fostering better mutual understanding between China and the rest of the world, and Casa Ricci Social Services, which helps poor and marginalised communities in China.
In Hong Kong, from July 19 to 21, Fr General will meet with Jesuits and collaborators for a sharing on the Universal Apostolic Preferences. He will also celebrate Mass for the 60th anniversary of St Ignatius Chapel in Wah Yan College Kowloon, as well as preside over the Final Vows of two Jesuit priests in Wah Yan College Hong Kong. Then on July 22, Fr Sosa will join the JCAP major superiors in their five-day assembly.
On July 27, he flies to Taipei where he will spend the next three days. He will get to know the lay partners, speak to leaders of Ignatian families on how they can be closer collaborators in living out and promoting the Universal Apostolic Preferences, and visit Jesuit parishes and the Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of St Robert Bellarmine. He will also join an advance celebration of the Feast of St Ignatius.
Fr General will conclude his visit to Asia Pacific in Japan. On August 1, he is scheduled to meet with his predecessor Fr Adolfo Nicolás SJ and later with the Japanese scholastics. He will also be going to Hiroshima for a gathering with collaborators and to talk about Servant of God Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ who was a missionary in Japan during the Second World War. One of his stops will be the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum on August 3.
He returns home to Rome on August 4.