Accompanying, protecting, and connecting: this is how the commitment of the Jesuit network in Latin America is moving forward. We share two important updates from the region: the recognition of Andean women in their crucial role as protectors of cultural memory and spirituality, and the preparations of the delegation that is already marching forward toward the XII Pan-Amazon Social Forum (FOSPA) in defense of the Amazon.
LATEST NEWS
To understand and address the impacts of socio-environmental corruption in Latin America and the Caribbean, AUSJAL and the CPAL Social Centers Network have launched the extension course 'Environment and Corruption'. In the following article, Luiz Felipe Lacerda (OLMA) shares the structure of this successful educational initiative and the international research that underpins it.
To mark World Refugee Day 2026, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has launched a global campaign inviting people everywhere to defend the right to seek safety and protection. In this same context, the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) has issued a powerful statement entitled “Together in Solidarity, Stronger in Humanity”.
In his closing statement on the UN June Climate Meetings (SB64), the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC noted that, while important progress was made on the Just Transition Work Programme, the conference concluded without delivering the necessary advances on adaptation and mitigation.
The SB64 negotiations in Bonn concluded without reaching consensus on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). According to a report published by the Climate Action Network (CAN), the group of developing countries, including the Africa Group of Nations, did not support the final draft decision due to the omission of a commitment to triple adaptation finance.
Amid the ongoing discussions on climate finance at SB64, we share the recent and powerful video message from Pope Leo XIV for the Tenth Austrian World Summit.
On 15 June, the Secretary for Secondary and Pre-secondary Education of the Society of Jesus, Fr Jimmy Bartolo, SJ, announced the appointment of Fr Hugo Gómez Sevilla, SJ, as the new Director of the Educate Magis global community, a position he will assume in December 2026.
As we close the first week of the Bonn Climate Conference (SB64), the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES) continues to follow and engage with the negotiations. These first days leave us with a clear message and a double challenge: the urgency of acting now and the political difficulty of turning promises into real and just action.
From 8 to 18 June, Bonn, Germany, brings together government representatives, civil society organisations, and international institutions for the annual UN June Climate Meetings, formally known as the 64th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (SB64).
TESTIMONIES
Manuel Hurtado, SJ (BOL), offers a personal testimony on faith, justice, and the reality of practical atheism in Bolivia. Drawing on academic and pastoral work, he shares his encounters with people and their questions directed toward Faith that demands Justice. He says: The wound of practical atheism is real, but it can become an opportunity to proclaim a God greater than our inconsistencies: a God who is not offended by being forgotten, but who strives to return by discreet, often invisible paths. Grounded in GC 32, Ignatian spirituality, and liberation theology, he concludes that faith becomes credible only when embodied in practices of justice and care for life.
Martin Maier, SJ reflects on his lifelong journey in the Jesuit mission of faith and justice, shaped by encounters with poverty, martyrdom, and global struggle. From formative experiences in El Salvador and the legacy of Archbishop Óscar Romero to supporting refugees in the Balkans and advocating for marginalized communities in India, his vocation deepened through direct engagement with suffering and hope. Through journalism, theological study, and leadership in humanitarian work, Maier highlights the universal mission of the Society of Jesus—building bridges, defending human dignity, and promoting justice inspired by the Gospel and the vision of Pope Francis.
As we explore different ways to share the gospel with the world, Sossai E. Lawrence SJ (PATNA) shares his thoughts on Universal Spirituality. He combines elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity in his perspective. Universal Spirituality can lead humanity toward peace, reconciliation, and hope. It emphasizes caring for our shared world, supporting one another, building relationships across different faiths, seeking truth, practicing compassion and mercy, advocating for justice, and working together to find meaning and purpose in life.
James Martin SJ (UEA) shares with us how GC 32 has marked his life in different apostolic fields. The mission of the Society of Jesus today: “the service of faith, of which the promotion of justice is an absolute requirement. For Reconciliation with God demands the reconciliation of people with one another”, has been—from his novitiate to the present day of his apostolic work—the inspiration to walk alongside all those who are excluded.
Ignatius Ismartono SJ reflects on a life spent "walking with the wounded. His journey has taken him from remote villages to the heart of interreligious conflict, teaching him what it means to be "the other." He witnessed recurring patterns of human suffering: how stigma leads to marginalization and victimization, turning victims into the guilty. Yet, he also saw paths to healing emerging from conflict, where tolerance blossomed into dialogue and collaboration. He says that ministry is about walking alongside people in their most vulnerable moments, allowing their resilience to transform reality.
JESUIT SOCIAL CENTRES
Data as of July 2023
