SJES ROME

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) applauds the significant steps taken during the 5th Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty to uphold the treaty and its norms, despite the challenging global landscape and concerning developments in recent weeks...

Bryan P. Galligan, a jesuit, reflects on his research into coral reef fisheries along the East African Coral Coast, where his work began with JENA in Kenya. He studies how sustainable fishing practices enhance both biodiversity and nutritional health in coastal communities. Snorkelling over a recovering reef, Bryan feels encouraged by the positive impact these efforts have on the ecosystem and local livelihoods.

Roberto Jaramillo, SJ, Secretary for Social Justice and Ecology, has announced the appointment of Fr. SM John Kennedy, SJ, to lead the Jesuit Integral Ecology Initiative (EcoJesuit) within the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN). John Kennedy, a Jesuit priest from the Madurai Province in India, is currently the Province's Delegate for Education and the Jesuit Conference of South Asia's Delegate for Ecology. We extend a warm welcome to John Kennedy.

More than 20 countries across Europe have come together in Rome to participate in a conference dedicated to the Church’s ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable.

Addressing COP29 on behalf of Pope Francis and the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin urges urgent climate action, linking environmental protection to peace, justice, and global solidarity, and warning that indifference enables injustice.

The Jaboticaba Agricultural Family School in Brazil reuses water for sustainable food production in a semi-arid region. Since 1993, it has combined agroecology with wastewater treatment to enhance food security and educate students. The project promotes environmental sustainability and aims to influence public policies in line with Pope Francis’s call for integral ecology.

The Jesuits for Climate Justice call for urgent action: make the Loss and Damage Fund effective, cancel climate debt, and advance just energy transitions. Inspired by the visions of Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, and Ignatius of Loyola—who “found joy in the ‘praise, reverence, and service’ of all God’s creation”—James Hanvey, SJ, invites us to celebrate life’s interconnectedness and protect our common home together.

It is from Latin America and the Caribbean that we present and disseminate this recently published work, the fruit of a two-and-a-half year working group that brought together Universities linked to AUSJAL and Social Centers linked to RCS (Jesuit Social Centers Network), all participants in the Conference of Provinces of Latin America and the Caribbean (CPAL). The work, which involves ten countries and 15 organizations, looks at the relationship between the environment and corruption in our continent innovatively, analyzing our challenges in the light of Integral Ecology.

Simón Pedro Martínez Jara, Jesuit priest and Director of the Centro de Estudios Paraguayos Padre Antonio Guasch (CEPAG) in Paraguay shares his experience promoting agroecology to care for the common home. Since joining CEPAG in 2022, his mission has focused on supporting agroecological producers, rural women, and youth in vulnerable areas. CEPAG promotes simple and sustainable lifestyles, researches climate change impacts, and promotes sustainable agriculture through initiatives like the MAGIS Youth Encounter and partnerships with universities. Simón views his mission as a gift, allowing him to contribute to environmental care and help local communities create a hope-filled future.

Fr Roberto Jaramillo SJ, Secretary for Social Justice and Ecology (SJES) of the Society of Jesus in Rome, was in Jakarta recently. His visit provided an opportunity for dialogue with about 40 staff members of Sahabat Insan, the Jesuit centre for migrant workers. Their conversations centred around Laudato sí’s recommendation, paragraph 63: exploring local cultural wealth to develop an ecology capable of addressing the damage done to the Earth.