SJES ROME

Artificial intelligence is often presented as an immaterial technology, yet it rests on a very concrete infrastructure: devices, data centers, and networks whose manufacture requires minerals such as tin, gold, cobalt, lithium, and copper. For this reason, reading AI from the perspective of socio-environmental justice means looking toward the territories where its supply chains begin: communities marked by conflict, precarious economies, ecological damage, and violations of human rights.

The Jesuits for Climate Justice Campaign (JCJC) presents this updated Statement for COP31, informed the outcomes of the Bonn Climate Conference (SB64) in June, and the First Conference on the Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia in April. As people of faith, we reaffirm our urgent responsibility to protect our common home and defend climate justice.

From July 21 to 26, Fr. Roberto Jaramillo, SJ, Director of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES) of the General Curia of the Society of Jesus, visited the Mexican Province to gain firsthand knowledge of the work carried out by its social apostolate and to strengthen dialogue around the Society's social mission.

SJES, South Asia organised a three-day convention under the theme our role in nation building in Kodaikanal, Madurai province. A total number 115 delegates participated including Jesuits and the lay collaborators from 19 provinces. The convention was inaugurated by Mr. Sachitanantham, member of Parliament representing the local constituency. He called for a collective response to burning issues of the country. The president of the conference appreciated the committed service of the Jesuits in social action and invited them to be strategic in their response.

Magnifica Humanitas offers us — especially those of us who work in education from a tradition of faith and commitment to justice — a profoundly enriching challenge. It calls us to govern AI with wisdom: to build the structures that protect the dignity of the most vulnerable; to form persons capable of thought and decision; and to ensure that the organization of our own institutions is coherent with what we teach.

In Europe today, a refugee is identified first by a biometric system, before the perilous journey they endured to flee danger is heard. At the United States border, an asylum seeker may be told to seek protection through a phone application before a human being listens to how their rights were violated by violence and persecution that brought them there.

Province Eco Jesuits (PEJ) successfully organized an inspiring interactive eco-workshop titled "From Vulnerability to Resilience: Climate Justice for the Poor and Marginalized." The workshop brought together Jesuits, religious, educators, social activists, students, and committed individuals to reflect on the growing challenges of climate change and the urgent need for ecological action.

Whom does facial recognition recognize? Who gets recommended for a job by an AI hiring algorithm? How does bias shade the output of an image-generation model? Whose choices are reflected in all of the multifaceted decision-making that is part of generating and deploying AI models?

The Second National Summit on Climate Change Adaptation and Environmental Management was convened by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) in Lusaka on 24 June 2026 under the theme: “Strengthening Community Resilience Through Inclusive Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Environmental Management in Zambia.”

In response to the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June 2026, the Society of Jesus has activated a coordinated priority response. Below, we share the official reports and support channels provided by the Jesuit Province of Venezuela to centralise the monitoring of response efforts on the ground.