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Rome - Conference Coordinators meet
(May-20-2013)  From 22 to 26 April, the social coordinators of the 6 conferences gathered in Rome for their annual meeting at the secretariat. This year, they relooked at the commitments made last year on ecology, reflected on networking that is being developed within the conferences and at the global level. This networking is offering some answers to the common apostolic challenges that go beyond provincial borders, establishing collaborations that lead to initiatives in the field of research or advocacy in defense of the poor, while maintaining a commitment to the local, from which springs the energy and credibility. The sharing on the situation of the GIAN networks at various conferences helped in recognizing the positive growth and also the genuine difficulties encountered in realizing the goal. With the help of Luis Arancibia from Entreculturas and Jorge Cela, President of CPAL, the participants prepared a draft document on networking.
USA - Fordham gets Special NGO Association with United Nations
(May-20-2013)
 Fordham University has been approved to work with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization (NGO) helping to raise public awareness about UN-sanctioned activities and global issues. This association brings a wealth of programming opportunities and special access for Fordham faculty and students, including attending weekly UNDPI-NGO briefings at the UN, providing students special access to NGOs associated with the UN that could result in internships and other UN-related experiences and access to NGO databases. Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) student Anjanae Wilson has already been a designated UN youth representative for the Belgium-based NGO, Close the Gap, whose mission is to provide information and communication technology to developing countries. "Working at the UN gives me a chance to learn international social development from the inside out," said Wilson, whose area of focus is global social work. "Before I started this relationship with Close the Gap, I didn't think of technology in terms of social work or social justice. But I see how important it is to empower individuals in these developing communities. Read more...
DRC - Time for US to change its Congo policy
(May-20-2013)
 Ferdinand Muhigirwa, SJ., the Managing Director of the Arrupe Research and Training Center and former director of CEPAS, appeared before the US Senate Foreign Relations sub-committee on African Affairs last week to urge America to take advantage of the current window of opportunity in the Democratic Republic of Congo - and help to foster sustainable peace as well as genuine democratic and economic progress. "This hearing {click to listen} is timely and critical for the DRC due to three recent events: the adoption of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework; the appointment of Mary Robinson as UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes; and the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2098," testified Muhigirwa. "The US can use this opportunity to help promote electoral reform and secure lasting peace in Congo and support regional cooperation for economic development." Read more...
Africa - Call for Ecological Awareness
(May-20-2013)
 Jesuits of Africa and Madagascar or JESAM and collaborators met in Nairobi, Kenya from 12 to 14 April 2013 to review the environmental and ecological dimensions of the mission of the Society of Jesus in Africa and Madagascar and to chart a way forward in incorporating ecological and environmental sensitivity and action into the ministries for the next three years. "Generative themes" were identified from the experiences of the participants and from the work of other Jesuits across the world and can be considered Africa and Madagascar's contribution to the action of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN) on Ecology. The themes include: ecological spirituality, eco-theology and eco-philosophy, environmental conscientisation, biodiversity, climate change, sustainable agriculture, deforestation and bush fires, ecology and conflict situations, management of natural resources, management of waste, business responsibility, potential partnerships, and the justice dimension which informs all our works. Read more...
USA - Earth Day 2013 webisode on Jesuit initiatives and eco-justice
(May-20-2013)
 Ignatian News Network or IN Network has released their Earth Day webisode and shared some Jesuit initiatives on eco-justice. The webisode Earth Day 2013: A Look at Eco-Justice, features Catholic organizations taking up the cause of eco-justice, as a blend of sustainability and human justice and as a response to the 2011 call by Father General to increase efforts amongst Jesuits and Jesuit institutions for more sustainable practices. The four-minute webisode included efforts by American Jesuit universities, through the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, such as Boston College and its sustainability fair where students get to learn about sustainable practices and Fairfield University that installed a rainwater harvesting system in their campus. Watch the video here...
Africa - Jesuit Theologate inaugurates Pope Francis' Park and launches Trees week
(May-20-2013)  On Saturday, May 4 the Jesuit Institute of Theology (ITCJ) at Abidjan dedicated a park to the first Jesuit Pope Francis and launched this year's Trees Week. In the early days of the Institute, eucalyptus globulus were planted which are found to be less useful environmentally. Hence, it was decided to replace the eucalyptus with new brand of trees terminalia mantaly, a tropical species that grows high and its generated branches are spread in a fan-like shape, which is why in some countries it is called an umbrella tree or a floor tree. After the holy Eucharist on Saturday morning, everyone stormed Pope Francis' park! Leaving for a time their theological discourses, they found the earth, fresh, rich and generous! The gardener made a demonstration so that everyone can correctly plant a tree. Within an hour, nearly a hundred of terminalia were given a new life on earth.
USA - Jesuit Conference Welcomes, Seeks to Improve, Immigration Bill
(May-20-2013)
 "On April 17, the U.S. Senate released a comprehensive immigration reform bill that will increase security measures at the U.S.-Mexico Border and provide citizenship for many undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. The U.S. Jesuit Conference welcomes this bill, but has been engaging in advocacy to ensure that migrants' rights are respected, that border community voices are heard in Washington and that citizenship is accessible to as many people as possible. Read more...
CPAL - Social sector reflects on the reality of Colombia and Venezuela
(May-20-2013)
 Between 2 and 4 of May, approximately 40 representatives from different social centres of the Society of Jesus in Venezuela met at Virgin of Quebrada, a retreat house located at Teques, to reflect on the role of these institutions in the present reality of Venezuela. Fr. Francisco de Roux, Provincial of Colombia also took part virtually in the meeting through internet, and shared his personal experience of working for peace in Magdalena Medio. His reflections on human dignity, and on the dramatic cases of murders in the context of war in Colombia, made the sharing more inspiring and instructive, in order to look for ways to bring lasting peace. Fr. Roux also reflected and made a series of observations on the delicate situation of Venezuela - an outcome of the present political conflict - and analysed the context of polarization taking place and presented a list of recommendations for our work during the meeting. Fr. José Virtuoso, Rector of Ucab, also made a presentation on the reality of the nation. The meeting came to an end with the information given on "Peace Building" by Luis Carlos Díaz, as the theme for the next meeting.
Spain - Pueblos Unidos launched a report on Detention Centres (CIE)
(May-20-2013)
 The Jesuit NGO Pueblos Unidos, located in Madrid, Spain, has published the report Atrapados tras las rejas - Trapped behind bars - on the situation of the Detention Centers in Spain. Throughout the year 2012, Pueblos Unidos has visited 328 people in near 1277 visits in Aluche CIE (Madrid). This represents over 10% of total people in Aluche CIE, from a total of about 3060 people per year. For the first time, the report contains data from Barcelona CIE, also based on stable visits to 55 people. This experience leads them to note the strong human and psychological impact of detention, generating deep anguish, suffering, despair, confusion, stress in migrant people, their families and their friends and neighbors. The second part of the report, under the title De la A a la Z - From A to Z - shows the human drama of the CIE, through personal stories. Read the summary here, and the entire report in Spanish.
Latin America - First issue of Migrar, a bulletin from RJM (Jesuit Network with Migrants)
(May-20-2013)
 The Jesuit Network with Migrants (RJM - Red Jesuita con Migrantes) comprises Jesuit institutions working with migrants and refugees in all Latin America and has recently initiated its joint activities. The partaking Jesuit institutions belong to different apostolic sectors, such as pastoral, social, education or higher education, where there exists service to migrants. JRS is also a member of the network. The network understands that we can offer a better and more integral service to migrants if we connect the Jesuit responses coming from the different sectors. The network is also divided into different sub-regions: South, Colombia and its borders, Central and North America, and the Caribbean. Each one of these sub-regions shows different characteristics of the migration phenomenon. The network has just released the first issue of an online magazine, Migrar, where the situation in the South sub-region is presented. Read more...
Democratic Republic of Congo - Initiative against weapons fuelling crisis in Great Lakes Region
(Apr-18-2013)  From 24 to 28 March 2013, the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN), the Jesuit African Social Centers Network (JASCNET), the Jesuit Refugee Service Great Lakes, the Jesuit Refugee Service Eastern Africa, the African Jesuit Aids Network (AJAN), and the Hekima Institute of Peace and International Relations (HIPSIR), met in Nairobi to explore joint advocacy actions to address the conflict in the Great Lakes Region. The initiative is part of the GIAN Peace and Human Rights Network.
Since almost twenty years, conflicts and wars affected millions of women, children and men in the Great Lakes. Only in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) two million people are continuing to suffer from massive displacement and daily human rights violations in the Great Lakes, such as sexual and gender-based violence and recruitment of child soldiers.
Despite some relevant international initiatives to address the conflict (mainly led by the United Nations and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region) no significant step forward has been taken in eradicating the root causes of the conflict. Daily reality in the region continues to be characterized by deaths and massive human rights violations against the population and by expensive emergency responses conducted by the humanitarian organizations.
The Jesuit institutions who met in Nairobi strongly feel that the time has now come to effectively advocate for the end of the conflict. Therefore, they agreed on collaborating among themselves and on unifying efforts to design a common advocacy strategy. For more information...
Asia Pacific - Reconciliation with Creation task force
(Apr-18-2013)  In conjunction with World Water Day on March 22, the Reconciliation with Creation task force in Asia Pacific conference has called for Jesuits and collaborators to be more aware of our responsibility to the world that God created. The need to focus on water is clear as 2013 has also been declared by the United Nations as the Year of Water Cooperation. "Through Healing a Broken World, Fr General Adolfo Nicolás SJ asked Jesuits and our institutions to understand our relationship with our environment as both ecological and sacred, calling for greater responsibility and reconciliation," said Fr Pedro Walpole SJ, Coordinator for Reconciliation with Creation. This initiative is linked to the GIAN Ecology network.Read more...
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