“What is the difference between our social centres and NGOs? What is Jesuit about our centres?” These are questions we often ask ourselves and rarely take seriously. Many social centres were started by individual Jesuits whose presence is taken as … Continued
Ecology and Jesuits in Communication (Ecojesuit) is urging Jesuit institutions to commit to making ethical investments. Divestment is one strategy that “can give the social apostolate a critical focus and a greater ability to enable others, including the Church, to … Continued
This year’s annual meeting of the social apostolate coordinators in Rome was special. This time the coordinators were joined by the leaders of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Networks (GIAN), and Fr General Arturo Sosa addressed the delegates not once but … Continued
Environmental contamination, especially pollution of water sources, is causing significant concern in areas where Jesuits are based, according to a global survey conducted by the Justice in Mining Network. The survey also showed there is strong interest in mining justice … Continued
The urgency of saving the planet from the greed of its human inhabitants cannot be emphasised enough. The Catholic Church has joined ranks with secular authorities in calling for immediate actions. In August 2016 the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific … Continued
The Reconciliation with Creation (RwC) programme of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) is organising a series of Living Laudato si’ workshops in Mindanao, Philippines this year to contribute to the formation of apostolic communities of practice capable of … Continued
The name Culion might not ring a bell as loud as its neighbour Coron, but this picturesque island in the province of Palawan, Philippines is gaining popularity. The former leper colony is now a municipality alive with local industries with … Continued
Jesuit communities and works in Australia have been actively working to improve their environmental sustainability for many years, according to surveys conducted by the Australian Jesuit Province: Reconciliation with Creation (RwC) Advisory Group. Last August, the group administered a survey … Continued
A dancing house. This is how many survivors of Typhoon Haiyan describe the substandard relocation houses that have been built. “If you shake them, they will move,” said one survivor. Four years after the disaster, building infrastructure that is able to withstand extreme weather conditions better remains a challenge in the Philippines.
“If you think climate change is bad, you’re not prepared to live in this world at all,” said Fr Pedro Walpole SJ in an interview recently, pointing out that climate change is but one of nine factors that can push the earth out of circulation. The other eight are ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, land-system change, biogeochemical flows, stratospheric ozone depletion, freshwater use, atmospheric aerosol loading and chemical pollution.