Across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic is threatening to undo many years of progress made on poverty, education, healthcare, and even plastic pollution. Covid-19 has not only killed people, it has increased joblessness, hunger, and dropout risk for vulnerable learners. … Continued
“Continue the way opened by Jesus, without ever forgetting prayer, more and more sensitive to the cry of the crucified of this world.” This was Fr General Arturo Sosa’s appeal to the more than 200 Jesuits and lay collaborators from … Continued
This week, the Society of Jesus is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology (SJES), born in 1969 at the request of Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ. The anniversary is a kairos, a historic moment for … Continued
“We grieve with the earth and the poor. We feel strongly that change and conversion will not take place without a real encounter with God, which also means encountering the poor,” expressed members of the social ministries network of the … Continued
“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
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 Jesuits have joined other Church voices in the Philippines in decrying the summary killings in the fight against drugs in the country. In a statement issued on August 24, Philippine Provincial Fr Antonio Moreno SJ said, “We cannot fight … Continued
A black and white photograph caught the eye on entering the meeting room for this year’s Social Apostolate meeting in Kuala Lumpur. It showed six men, all Jesuits and all Caucasian, deep in thought. The photograph was taken sometime in 1971 when the Committee for the Development of Socio-Economic Life in Asia (SELA), the predecessor of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific social apostolate office, had a meeting.
A network on migration has been formed within the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, comprising Jesuit institutions working on the issue – Tokyo Migrant Desk in Japan, Yiutsari in Korea, Rerum Novarum Centre in Taiwan, UGAT Foundation in the Philippines, Sahabat Insan in Indonesia, JRS Asia Pacific, and Jesuit Social Services Australia.