The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has led to mass displacement in Lebanon and emergency aid is needed urgently. Around the world, members of the Xavier Network are mobilizing support for the work of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Lebanon.  Your support is crucial. According to the UN and Lebanese authorities over a million people, including some JRS staff,  have been forced to flee their homes due to the escalating conflict.  At this time, JRS Lebanon is shifting its focus and resources to provide emergency aid and shelter. Teams have been distributing basic hygiene items, mattresses, and food in the shelters near the JRS Lebanon centers located in safer regions. Additionally, JRS has set up a space to accommodate displaced people, including migrants.. By Friday, September 27, JRS was caring for 3,428 displaced individuals who had taken shelter in Bar Elias, the Arrupe Migrant Center, Qabelias Elementary School, and other areas. Our friends and partners on the ground are in urgent need of support for this endeavor in the short term and will need continued aid as the situation develops in the long term. To make a donation: Austria – Jesuitenmission Austria Canada – Canadian Jesuits International  Germany – Jesuitenmission Germany Spain – Entreculturas and Alboan Switzerland – Stiftung Jesuiten weltweit Schweiz United States – JRS USA Hungary - Jesuits Hungary

From September 26 to 29, Pope Francis visited Luxembourg and Belgium, where he met with Jesuits from Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands on several occasions. After a brief stop in Luxembourg, Pope Francis spent four days in Belgium, accepting invitations from KU Leuven and UCLouvain, two universities celebrating their 600th anniversary this year. This visit came shortly after the 87-year-old pontiff’s long trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania. His arrival was eagerly anticipated, marking the first papal visit to Belgium since Pope John Paul II’s in 1995. The Jesuits were present at multiple stages of the Pope’s journey. In Luxembourg, on Thursday, September 26, he was welcomed at the Notre-Dame Cathedral by Jesuit Fathers Gabriel Pigache, Jacques Weisshaupt, Jean-Marie Birsens, and Christian Motsch. The visit coincided with the 400th anniversary of the National Pilgrimage of the Octave, dedicated to Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted, a tradition initiated by the Jesuits in 1624. Reflecting on this, Father Christian Motsch, SJ, of the Christ the King Chapel, noted, "A Jesuit Pope in the 21st century renews the Church's call to stand with the poorest and most afflicted. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Pope Francis will remind us, as Luxembourgers and Christians, of our responsibility in facing the ecological and social crises causing immense suffering today." On Friday, the Pope continued his visit in Belgium, meeting with King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. He then visited KU Leuven, where he also met with survivors of sexual abuse within the Church, including two victims who shared their experiences of abuse by Jesuits. On Saturday, Pope Francis addressed bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg. Among those present were Father Thierry Dobbelstein, SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits, and members of the Belgian Jesuit communities. In the afternoon, the Pope met with students from UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve. As with all his travels, he took time for a private audience with the Jesuits, attended by more than 130 members from seven Jesuit communities across French-speaking Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and the Netherlands.

A memorial Mass for Peter Knauer SJ was held on Wednesday, 11 September, at 19:00 at the Chapel for Europe. On July 22nd, 2024, Fr. Peter Knauer SJ passed away peacefully in Berlin at the age of 89. After retiring as a professor of fundamental theology, he moved to Brussels in 2003 and remained there until 2018. Many remembered him for his pastoral services at the Foyer Catholique and the Chapel, as well as in other communities, where he spoke in Spanish, Italian, German, and even Esperanto. He was cherished for his kindness and commitment, his sharp intellectual mind, and his deep expertise in St. Ignatius of Loyola and his spirituality. May he rest in peace!

The regular September meeting of the JCEP Consult took place in Brussels for 3 days, 18-20 September. The main topic was the preparation of the next Conference Assembly in Prague, mid-October.  The exchange of news from the different provinces is always also an element in these meetings, to know what is going on with the life and mission of the Jesuits in Europe. This time, there was the happy coincidence of the visit of Fr. General to Brussels in the same dates. In his brief visit to the offices of the JCEP, Fr. Arturo Sosa met informally with all the consultors. Herminio Rico sj JCEP Socius

From September 20th to 22nd 2024, the Passion for Europe Workshop gathered once again in the Jesuit Spiritual centre of La Pairelle near Namur, for its sixth edition. This year’s edition had for theme “European Democracy in the light of the War in Ukraine: something worth fighting for?” and aimed to explore the impact the Russian attack on Ukraine had on Europe’s understanding of its own democracy, and how it revealed its value, its strengths, and its weaknesses. Organised by the Passion for Europe group, a group of Christians of different nationalities and confessions involved in EU activities, in collaboration with JESC, the workshop brought together about 40 participants from all over Europe. As in previous years, the financial support from Renovabis enabled younger participants from Central and Eastern Europe to join the session, enriching it with more varied perspectives. Professor Antoine Arjakovsky, co-director of the Politics and Religions research department at the French Collège des Bernardins, was the keynote speaker of this edition. He started with a thought-provoking conference on Friday evening. Drawing from his experience as a diplomat in Moscow and Kyiv, as well as from his work in ecumenical theology, Prof. Arjakovsky offered a passionate account of the roots of the conflict, its complexity, and possible avenues to bring about a just peace. His open and frank input set the tone for later discussions. The next day, two panels continued exploring the topic. In the morning, Karl Heinz Lamberts, former President of the European Committee of the Regions, and Domenico Rossetti, Deputy Head of the Research and Innovation Unit at the Commission as well as Secretary General of the Belgian section of the European Union of Federalists, offered their assessments of the state of European democracy. They highlighted the challenge posed by populism and disenchantment in the European peace project but also offered some thoughts on how to bring citizens closer to the European Union’s institutions. The essential, but often undervalued, role played by cohesion policies was stressed in the discussion. In the afternoon, Sébastien Maillard, from the Jacques Delors Institute and Chatham House, Josianne Gauthier, from International Cooperation for Development Solidarity (CIDSE), and Edmond Grace SJ widened the perspective. From the role played by the EU on the world stage in the search for peaceful development to the renewal of local politics by citizens’ panels, they explored possibilities while acknowledging the very real challenges the EU faces today. At the forefront of their concerns was the danger of Europe adopting a purely defensive stance, economically and politically, at the risk of setting aside the values it was founded upon. The Passion for Europe workshop is not just about rich conferences and panels. Its interest also lies in the occasion it offers to participants to debate among themselves more in-depth, in smaller, mixed groups. And the more social times, during the breaks, the meals and the beer-tasting evenings, are also a key component of the experience. Over the weekend, they helped to create a trusting setting, allowing for deeper and more truthful discussions. Also, the weekend was wonderfully sunny, allowing participants to enjoy fully La Pairelle and its gardens and green surroundings.  More information on the workshop and the group “Passion for Europe” can be found on the group’s website at passionforeurope.com. Benoit Willemaers sjJESC Secretary for European Affairs

The St. Ignatius Retreat House hosted over sixty Jesuits from the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Prešov from September 9 to 12. This was the second inter-provincial meeting of the Jesuits from these two provinces. The goal of these gatherings is to foster mutual understanding and strengthen ties, which are vital for the development of collaboration in our apostolic work across Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia. The first day featured a joint excursion to Bardejov. After celebrating Mass in the Basilica of St. Egidius, we toured the basilica and the town hall. We also made a brief stop at the local parish, where we were warmly welcomed by the local dean, Marek Kreheľ. Though we had planned to spend the afternoon at the Bardejov Spa, the cold weather and rain altered our plans. Instead, after a delightful lunch, we returned to Prešov, where we continued our time of relaxation with informal brotherly gatherings and conversations. On the second day, we dedicated ourselves to prayerful reflection and spiritual conversations focused on our collaboration with others. In personal prayer, we reflected on the faces and names of those who work with us in our mission—employees, collaborators, benefactors, directors of our ministries, clergy, ministers, teachers, musicians, and others. We also reflected on the words of our 36th General Congregation (2016): "Collaboration with others is the only way the Society of Jesus can fulfill its mission. This partnership includes those who share our Christian faith, those from different religions, and people of goodwill who, like us, wish to cooperate with Christ and His work of reconciliation. As Father General Sosa reminds us, the Jesuits' vocation from Christ is not exclusively ours but is shared with many others who have dedicated themselves to serving others." In the Ignatian spirit, we spent time in silent prayer, considering what we have already done to foster collaboration, what we are doing now, and what more the Holy Spirit calls us to do. After a joint Mass and lunch, we split into small mixed groups to share the fruits of our personal reflections. We then gathered in a plenary session to bring together the insights (sentire cum – feeling and perceiving together) from our group discussions: Together, we felt the Holy Spirit renewing our desire for collaboration, recognizing that cooperation is integral to living out the Gospel of Christ. We expressed our deep gratitude for our co-workers, seeing them as gifts that inspire us to strive for more (Ignatian magis) in our relationships with them. We also acknowledged the need to continually open ourselves to collaboration, building partnerships based on listening, faith, hope, and trust. Lastly, our reflections on cooperation with others raised the essential question of how we can deepen cooperation among ourselves. The inter-provincial meeting concluded with a Mass of thanksgiving, celebrated by the Slovak provincial, Father Jozef Šofranko, with a homily by the Czech provincial, Father Petr Přádka, encouraging his confreres. After a final lunch at the retreat house, where we were grateful for the generous hospitality, the Jesuits departed, enriched by their time together, returning to their communities, ministries, and missions across the Czech Republic and Slovakia.