News

The worldwide network of Jesuit organisations, Xavier Network, involved in responding to humanitarian crises around the world, expressed shock at the April 2 killing of 7 aid workers delivering essential food aid. "We cannot be silent." Xavier Network joined the global Jesuits' call for "an immediate ceasefire, for negotiations and for the beginning of a process that will bring freedom, liberty and justice for all in the Middle East, the only road to true peace."

On Wednesday, April 10, the European Parliament voted on the European Pact on Asylum and Migration. JRS Europe directors jointly opposed the pact and urged European institutions to reject it: "We cannot support a system that will allow the systematic detention of thousands of people, including children, at the EU external borders."

Despite challenges posed by the current conflict in Southern Lebanon, Joseph Nassar SJ reports that the Ain Ebel Centre, in collaboration with the Order of Malta and the local Municipality, remains faithful to its mission to provide healthcare, humanitarian efforts and agricultural initiatives. Its mobile dispensary serves 30 villages with essential medical services. Comprehensive training programmes promote human development and resilience.

On the memorial day of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, J. Baptiste, a Jesuit genocide survivor from Rwanda, shared his story of the tragic event. On behalf of fellow Rwandans, he concluded with a prayer: "My prayer today is to find the last remains of the victims…, then [this] commemoration will mean something different. Only then will our wounds heal and the ongoing reconciliation process move faster."

The Cartagena Declaration, adopted in 1984, emerged in response to the growing displacement crises in Latin America. Its importance lies in its expanded approach to defining a refugee, recognising the causes of displacement beyond armed conflict events. Despite progress in these 40 years, implementation challenges of the recognition criteria and the commitments made in the adopted plans persist.

For April, the Holy Father chose to pray particularly for women, the recognition of their dignity and role in society: "Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognised in every culture and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world".

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, the Vatican published a new document, Dignitas Infinita, which condemns, among other grave violations, emerging forms of digital violence against human dignity, such as Cyberbullying, Online Hate Speech, Social Exclusion, Economic Exploitation, Digital Surveillance, Body Shaming, and Microaggressions.

Resource persons at the "Cobalt Blue" webinar organised by the Canadian Jesuit International stressed the root causes of mining misery: the legacy of colonialism, racism, unchecked consumerism, and a greedy global economic-political system that overlooks ethical and environmental concerns are among the main reasons for the untold suffering caused by mining and the extraction of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Representatives of nine provinces of CPAL met in person in Bogotá, Colombia. It was an opportunity to reaffirm their dreams and commitment to continue walking together, training on, and reflecting upon the impact of gender equality in the apostolic body of the Society of Jesus in the Latin American and Caribbean territories.

After almost six months of war in Gaza, the Society of Jesus released a statement calling for peace. The Jesuits avow to follow Pope Francis's voice, who has repeatedly warned that war is a defeat and called for negotiations—and the beginning of a process that will bring freedom, liberty, and justice for all in the Middle East--the only road to true peace.