A Moment of great Promise
Thoughts shared at a meeting of Conference representatives of Jesuit Universities in Rome, on 5 December 2008.
I would like to express my profound gratitude for giving me this chance to share with you my dreams and hopes. The title of my intervention is a translation of the biblical term “kairos” expressing both the seriousness and the immense opportunities of the challenges facing us. We cannot let this moment pass!
I speak about this moment of great promise and responsibility echoing the sentiments of many colleagues present at a meeting on Ignatian International Advocacy held at El Escorial Madrid. Fr. Paul Locatelli was invited but he could not attend. Arturo Sosa, Counsellor of Fr. General and President of la Universidad de Táchira attended.
We are not starting this dialogue from the base camp. We have today many examples of collaboration between Jesuit Universities and social ministries. We need to move our camp closer to the summit.
Let me indicate the reasons that justify my naming this historical moment as a new “kairos”. We may distinguish two types of reasons: some external to us, characterising the world we live in, and others internal to the Society of Jesus emerging from the transformations initiated by GC 35.
It is not my scope to present here a complete diagnosis of the present times. A few traits may be in order, though. Firstly, we have not fully gauged the effects of the Unprecedented financial and economic crisis affecting the entire world at various levels. These are: the end of the paradigm of an unfettered free market and of the limited role of the state; and the capacity of the system to draw massive amounts of funds to salvage the banking system and kick the economy back, while poverty and the Millennium Development Goals in many parts of the world remain unfulfilled.
Secondly, the increasing polarisations and divisions are resulting in a social fragmentation that endangers social cohesiveness at multiple levels. Among these are the unwillingness or incapacity of the political system to take care of the common good, of the good of all and not only of particular, narrow or party interests; the scourge of terrorism; and the failure of democracy and the re-emergence of charismatic leadership.
Thirdly, the realisation that a “purified” understanding of religion and faith is called to play a crucial role in solving the impasse of values and in restoring social relations. Examples: the message of Karen Amstrong, Tony Blair and the changed attitudes of Word Bank and International Labour Organisation towards faith-based organisations.
General Congregation 35 (January to March 2008) has given us a new message. Let me summarise the content of this message in the following five points.
GC35 has instilled a growing awareness of the universal character of our identity and mission as Jesuits: “we are a universal body for a universal mission” (GC 35, D 2, no. 20).
It has re-affirmed the intellectual, “learned” character of our mission which remains as one of the five global preferences (GC 35, D 3, no. 39 (iii)).
It is urging the intellectual apostolate “to build bridges between rich and poor, establishing advocacy links of mutual support between those who hold political power and those who find it difficult to voice their interests” (GC 35, D 3, no. 28).
It noted specifically the importance of ‘corporate social responsibility’ as an initiative that has contributed to change business culture (GC 35, D 3, no. 28).
It asked “the universities and research centres to promote studies and practices focusing on the causes of poverty and the question of the environment’s improvement”, so that “advocacy and research should serve the poor and those who work for the protection of the environment” (GC 35, D 2, no. 35).
This new moment full of opportunities and challenges may require some reflection on the methodological approach we are called to develop. I submit tentatively that our apostolic initiatives or interventions in any of our traditional sectors or ministries, the social sector included, need to pay attention to the following Ignatian way of proceeding.
Decree 2 on Jesuit Identity describes three experiences in the life of Ignatius that become foundational for every Jesuit and for every apostolic work that calls itself Jesuit: Manresa, Cardoner and La Storta. I want to focus on Ignatius’ experience at Cardoner.
At the place of Cardoner, close to Manresa, Ignatius sees in a vision God actively working in the world and hence defines our identity in terms of being sent into the world. This experience forms the background of the famous ‘Contemplation to attain love’. As Nadal said our monastery is the world.
If we have to live our mission in the world we have to know it well and this marks the foundation of the intellectual tradition in the Society of Jesus. For Ignatius this “knowledge” of the world is related to the way in which “the three Divine Persons were looking at all the flatness or roundness of the whole world filled with people” (Spiritual Exercises, 102).
I would briefly argue that to be able to face the challenges of this “kairos”, our looking to the world and people, our knowledge of the world needs to be (1) scientific knowledge, that is, an attempt to analyse reality objectively, synthetically and in an interdisciplinary manner; (2) social knowledge, that is, scientific knowledge open to dialogue with the poor, vulnerable, excluded and oppressed; (3) knowledge arising from a process of listening to the narratives of the poor and one that allows itself to be impacted by their lives and histories; (4) wisdom knowledge, that is, scientific and social knowledge that enters into dialogue with Christian theology and other religious visions; (5) a knowledge that accepts its limitations and acknowledges it is often tainted by selfishness and sin; and (5) apostolic (active) knowledge, that is, scientific, social and wisdom knowledge that facilitates better apostolic leadership in the Society of Jesus, in the Church and that aims at influencing those instances of power where public policy is decided.
I therefore propose firstly that the intellectual dimension of the Jesuit mode of proceeding, that is, using and promoting research, fomenting intellectual creativity, and improving substantially our knowledge of the world, be considered as a transversal dimension of all our ministries. A plan of action affecting all our ministries needs to be prepared at Conference and global levels.
Secondly, GC 35 has clearly affirmed the oneness of our mission. As the Holy Father reminded all of us, we have been called “to renew [our] mission among the poor and for the poor”, and to accep that the preferential option for the poor “is implicit in the christological faith in God” (Address of the Pope, 8). We need to work towards eliciting a clear and unambiguous institutional commitment to the oneness of our mission accepting a great variety of contexts.
Universities and institutions of higher learning are already engaged in social research and advocacy. Therefore, thirdly, we need to reflect on all these efforts and select a set of “best practices”. In the area of advocacy, (influencing public policy) we need to move further. Influencing public policy specially in pluri-cultural societies is today one of the best ways of being at the frontier. I would propose the establishment of joint action groups or committees formed with members drawn from the Universities and the social sector to plan and implement advocacy interventions.
Fourthly, the “universal” character of our Jesuit institutions needs to be developed much further. Many Jesuit Universities are exploring various types of student exchanges, and some have acquired good experience in extension programmes in countries with very different cultural traits. We need to form students capable of living meaningfully in multi-cultural and multi-religious societies.
We may then, fifthly, be able to select some “themes” around which common projects between universities and the social sector can be established. Migration and ecology may be the two most obvious. These projects must be promoted by Conferences and bilateral and/or multilateral agreements among Conferences need to be developed and strengthened.
An as a sixth and last suggestion, a serious attempt is required to draw our Business Schools, and our Management Institutes into this conversation. In the context of the present financial, economic and social crisis, an Ignatian Examen on their Jesuit character and on their academic assumptions needs to be undertaken.
Fernando F. Franco SJ
5 December 2008