The Pulse of Ecological Advocacy in South Asia
Interview with Fr. John Kennedy, S.J. | Ecology Delegate of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia and Coordinator of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network on Ecology (GIAN-Ecology) | By: Tiffany Trejo
South Asia today stands as one of the most decisive regions in the global ecological crisis. Here, extraordinary natural wealth coexists with a mobilized youth and communities deeply affected by extractive models, regressive policies, and an economic system that sacrifices territories and lives in the name of growth. In this context, the mission of the Society of Jesus in the field of ecology is not a complementary option, but an apostolic urgency.
Against this backdrop—and with 20 Jesuit provinces shaped by an overwhelming cultural diversity—coordinating a unified ecological response could appear to be an impossible task. Yet for Fr. John Kennedy, S.J., Ecology Delegate of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia, this diversity is not an obstacle, but rather the very condition of the mission itself. And it is precisely now—when the climate crisis demands more than symbolic gestures—that the Conference finds itself engaged in a critical discernment: how to articulate a shared ecological mission in such a complex territory while respecting the identity of each Province.
With this guiding question in mind, we begin our conversation with Fr. Kennedy to take the pulse of this movement, at a moment when the Conference is preparing for its next key gathering in Darjeeling.
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