On 22 January, the first day of the Major Superiors Assembly of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP), Fr General Sosa spoke to the group after a long flight from Rome. “This is the farthest from Rome I have travelled so far, more than 16,000 kilometres,” he began with characteristic humour. The General’s last visit to Asia Pacific was in 2019, pre-Covid, during the assembly in Hong Kong. Much has changed since then, with several new major superiors leading the way in a post-pandemic world.
Fr General Sosa recalled the theme “accompanying change,” which the Enlarged Council in Rome had recently reflected upon: the processes of change from the time of St Ignatius until today, and the challenge of listening closely to the Spirit “to effectively face ever more complex realities,” as he put it.
Change is also happening within the conference, with Fr Tony Moreno officially stepping down as president and Fr Primitivo Viray Jr beginning his term. The assembly in Sydney, ongoing until 26 January, is a special one: former JCAP president Fr Mark Raper graced the assembly with his presence. In the gardens of Peter Canisius House in Pymble, Fr General, Fr Moreno, and Fr Viray snapped a photograph, capturing that sense of continuity and commitment to the mission of God as it is carried out by the Jesuits in Asia and the Pacific.
Fr General Sosa also spoke about his experience during the First Ecclesial Assembly of the Synod on Synodality held in Rome last October. (From JCAP, there were four participants, with Cardinal Stephen Chow SJ of Hong Kong and Bishop Enrique Figaredo SJ of the Prefecture of Battambang as voting members, and Br Ian Cribb SJ from the Australian Province and Dr Christina Kheng, JCAP’s planning consultant as facilitators.) “It was a synod like no other. The participants lived a process that was itself synodal, learning by being, that is, by walking together as People of God, guided by the signs of the times, and inspired by the Holy Spirit,” he said. He highlighted the use of “conversation in the Spirit” during the assembly, which he calls “a hard process of listening to each other that welcomed the diversity of opinions as a richness and the divergences as an opportunity for deepening and growth”.
The 71st Congregation of Procurators in Loyola, held in May, was a key event for the Society, which started with an eight-day retreat, devoted to personal prayers and discernment in common on the De Statu Societatis. Thus, in the words of Fr General Sosa, it did not become “just another business meeting to decide whether to convene a General Congregation or not”. He called it “a time for opening our hearts to the motions of the Holy Spirit in today’s world to recognise where the Society is, and from there to determine where and how God is leading us, Jesuits and partners in mission, as we move into the future”.
Fr General Sosa has asked all Jesuits worldwide for an examen based on the De Statu Societatis “to get to a deeper reflection on our situation as a universal body” and to be led by the Lord to “authentic and profound conversion”.
Fr General shared with the group three points for the examen. First, in light of the Universal Apostolic Preferences, particularly the first and fourth preferences. “The first preference is more fundamentally about giving greater space for the action of God and following the path that the Spirit indicates through discernment in common,” he said. Regarding the fourth preference, Fr General Sosa notes the inadequate action in caring for our Common Home—his wakeup call is for “real conversion of our lifestyles and works”. His hope is that people can be “more creative and proactive in promoting the good of the environment”.
Second, in terms of collaboration, Fr General Sosa posed questions about the formation of collaborators and what collaboration with partners of other faiths—as well as non-believers—can look like. “We need to see and respect these differences, grateful for the gifts they bring to the apostolate.”
And third, he broached the topic of restructuring, calling it “the timely adaptation of the forms of government to the needs of the apostolic realities”. He clearly stated the need for governance that is not only supportive but also agile, flexible, and faithful to Ignatian values.
These gentle admonitions and clear reminders from Fr General Sosa bring the Jesuits and lay partners back to the core mission essential in carrying out the missio Dei: “to be living witnesses of the Good News and to reconcile all things in Jesus Christ”.
Photos courtesy of David MacMahon, Communication Officer of the Australian Province