From the 23rd to 31st of July 2019 the Lithuanian Province of the Society of Jesus in collaboration with other Jesuit Provinces is organizing a summer Magis Europe 2019 event for young people. It’s a program for 18-35 year old youth, who are interested in Ignatian spirituality, intended for young people from Europe but everyone from all over the world will be very welcome. The meeting is divided in two parts: Ignatian experiments and the Closing event. The Ignatian experiments are the most important part of the Magis experience. Magis Europe 2019 experiments will take place in Lithuania and Latvia from the 23rd to 29th of July. The activities are designed to show young people the meaning of teamwork, to give them a sense of international community and to place them into unusual situations which contribute to their human and spiritual growth. Magis Europe 2019 event will offer a number of different experiments to choose from, grouped in several categories: Pilgrimage, Spirituality, Service, Ecology, Arts and Culture. The Closing event will take place in Kaunas, Lithuania from the 29th to 31st of July. All the participants of Magis Europe 2019 will gather in one place to share their experiences from the experiments, to participate in Magis workshops, to experience the Evening of Reconciliation and to celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola together. Magis Europe 2019 program will be linked to the world MAGIS 2019 event in Central America and World Youth Days in Panama. 2019 marks the 450th anniversary of the Jesuit Mission in Lithuania. The jubilee will be celebrated throughout the year and European Magis 2019 program will become one of the key events of the celebration. The main theme for the Magis Europe 2019 event will be the same as of the jubilee year - “To know, love and share”. Participation fee: 120,- EUR.The price includes the entire stay (including accommodation, food, event merchandise and transportation from the experiment to the Closing event in Kaunas). The price doesn’t include the transportation from your country and back – it must be arranged personally. Registration:www.magis2019.eu/registration Contacts:info@magis2019.euww.magis2019.euwww.facebook.com/MagisEU

‘The hero’ was the title of a workshop led recently by education consultant David Tuohy SJ for chaplains and people who work with youth in Jesuit schools. David proposed ‘the heroic journey’ as a model of personal development, one that could provide both young people and their mentors with a positive and clear narrative. The workshop was part of a conference, held in Manresa, Spain, addressing the issue of how to speak about Jesus in a world of increasingly diverse visions. The attendants came from all around Europe. David’s theme was born out of his fascination with the constant presence in the history of education of the hero figure, offered to students for emulation. Even in Ancient Greece, the stories of the heroes were taught so as to inspire students to exert themselves for the good of the city state. And the same idea held later for the Roman empire, for Christianity, and for Renaissance humanism. In David’s view, this way of framing personal development in young people remains valuable. It can inspire them to think in terms of using their creativity so as to make a greater contribution to their world. The process of the heroic journey would inculcate attitudes and values in the young people which would give focus and purpose to their years of education. Listen above to David explaining the purpose of his workshop to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications. https://www.jesuit.ie/news/we-could-be-heroes/

Leipzig - German Jesuit Father Hans Zollner SJ called for a deeper theological and pastoral reflection of the sexual abuse of minors by catholic priests. "For 35 years in the Church we have only ever dealt with the subject psychologically, psychiatrically, under church law and criminal law - I find this very significant", said the President of the Centre for Child Protection at Rome’s Gregorian University during a lecture in Leipzig. "We have made a huge curve around the subject in our hearts - for example, we do not have a liturgy in which victims can express themselves.” The Jesuit priest, theologian and psychologist said that he observed worldwide that more and more believers have the impression: "The bishops introduce many measures to prevent abuse in their dioceses - but they do it only because of pressure from outside, but not from their heart, not because the gospel demands that from us.” In the discussion in the church he missed the question: "What does God want to tell us with this topic, this scandal", Zollner said. He thinks that the Church must face this theologically more deeply. The Jesuit described the year 2018 as a "turning point" for the Catholic Church's dealings with abuse: "The perspective is no longer only the individual case, but the system as such is now being put to the test. That is new". Zollner emphasized: "If in 2002 the German bishops had taken an example from the US bishops, which consequences they had drawn from the child abuse scandal in America, the situation in Germany would be different today. Every local church makes the same mistakes instead of learning from others. This is still going on.” Fr. Hans Zollner SJ is one of the leading experts on sexual abuse working in the Catholic Church. He was one of the four organizers of the Vatican Conference “Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church,” often described more simply as the pope’s “anti-abuse summit”, which took place in February with bishops from all over the world. (www.jesuiten.org)

Pope Francis has said, ‘Today the Church needs to grow in discernment, in the ability to discern.’ His reforms are motivated by a desire for a more discerning Church, whether at the level of the bishops’ synods, in the local Church, or in the pastoral accompaniment of individual Christians. Above all, he has emphasised that the faithful ‘are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations’. About sixty people gathered at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales this March to discuss what the discerning Church might look like in the twenty-first century. The conference, which was co-sponsored by Campion Hall, Oxford, addressed aspects of this topic ranging from Saint Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises to discernment in the thinking of the early desert saints; from the prehistory of human ethical thinking to the Christian engagement with the contemporary corporate sector and with young adults. The Bishop of Wrexham, Peter Brignall offered a welcome to participants in a brief address that turned out to foreshadow a core theme of the conference. He outlined the structure of the disciples’ encounter with Jesus on the way to Emmaus. The Lord accompanied them; their hearts were opened; they set out on a journey, right away. Frank Turner SJ, Delegate for the Intellectual Apostolate, reflects on the address: "we know that the Lord accompanies us. We pray, not least in the Spiritual Exercises, for our hearts to be truly open to that presence in the power of God’s Spirit. We recognise that discerned decisions must lead, where appropriate, to action and sustained commitment.” The keynote speakers were Dr Nick Austin SJ, theological ethicist & Master-designate of Campion Hall, Prof Celia Deane-Drummond, theologian & Director of the Laudato Si’ Institute at Oxford University, Dr Cécile Renouard RSA, Professor at the Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation in Europe (IRENE), Dr Patrick Goujon SJ, theologian at the Centre Sèvres Jesuit Faculty of Paris, and Fr Mark Rotsaert SJ, Ignatian scholar and spiritual director. They addressed the role of imagination and memory in practical wisdom, aspects of Ignatian discernment of spirits, and the importance of a collective social and ecological discernment that can address the structures of society that impede social justice and care for our common home. The particular role of the Ignatian family in fostering a culture of personal, pastoral and communal discernment in the Church was recognized. Afternoon workshops also ranged widely, looking at the place of decision in discernment, discernment in personal vocation, in diocesan life, and in the accompaniment of refugees. We engaged with another form of ‘prehistory’, in the Old Testament (we found ourselves writing Midrash on the Book of Esther). Finally, a workshop explored the deepest theological grounds of discernment: how St Augustine understood the experience of God. The Conference participants themselves recognized the need to go beyond talking about the discerning Church, and to engage in the process of becoming, at least in microcosm, the discerning Church, in the communities and institutions to which they returned.

Statement by the President of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) on Cyclone Idai. My thoughts are with the hundreds of thousands in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi who have been affected by Cyclone Idai over the past week. The devastation this storm has caused deserves the attention and support of the international community to rebuild. I’m encouraged by the level of humanitarian assistance to the affected countries. The Jesuits in Africa and Madagascar join the rest of Africa and the world in mourning the loss, interruption and destruction of lives and livelihoods caused by Cyclone Idai. The scale of devastation it caused is enormous. 90% of the city of Beira is reported to have been destroyed, floods have wiped out entire villages, key infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, have been destroyed; one St Charles Lwanga Catholic School in Chimanimani in Zimbabwe was buried by a mudslide, causing the death of some students. The devastation has made the affected areas difficult to access, hampering aid efforts by individuals and organisations. The scale of the destruction can thus only be fully ascertained later once these communities are accessible.  The real devastation, however, is the lives that have been lost. As of 22 March, the death toll is reported to have surpassed 500 across the three countries. This number is expected to rise as water recedes and more bodies are discovered and retrieved. The Cyclone has affected about 1,7 million people in the three countries, who stand in need of humanitarian aid.  We are in close solidarity with the communities that have been affected. The Jesuits in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Malawi have already initiated campaigns and appeals to raise resources needed to bring relief to these communities. The Jesuit Relief Fund of the Zimbabwe-Mozambique Province has already managed to send the first batch of aid they have gathered so far within Zimbabwe. This comprises clothes, non-perishable food and blankets. This has been sent to Chimanimani, the worst affected area in Zimbabwe, through the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of that area’s diocese. More aid in cash and kind is still being gathered in Zimbabwe and South Africa and from further afar. It is encouraging that alumni of Jesuit schools within Zimbabwe who are based abroad have been forthcoming and supportive through offering cash donations. The response to the plight of the affected people, especially within Catholic circles, has been overwhelming. Such moments help us restore our faith in humanity.  However, disasters such as this one need not awaken only our sympathy towards humanity, but also our sympathy towards our planet, to God’s creation itself.  As humanity, we need to respond to the distress of our planet. Global increase in adverse and calamitous weather conditions is a manifestation of climate change, which we humans are largely responsible for. While the poor are the least responsible for global warming and environmental degradation, it is them who bear the brunt of its effects. Caring for our Home is the surest way of preventing the frequent occurrence of such disasters and of taming their severity. Humanity needs to undergo an ecological conversion spoken of by Pope Francis in his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si.   Let us especially use this time of Lent to help those in need in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi in whatever means possible, as individuals, communities and organisations. Even the smallest of gestures can bring hope to those who have no reason to have any given these circumstances.  God bless you all, Fr. A.E. Orobator, SJPresident of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar

European Treasurers Meeting in Krakow. While it is true that the Society of Jesus in Europe is aging and that vocations are scarce, this does not stop the treasurers of each province from doing their best to care for our elderly. The situation is different in every area of Europe and the Middle East: some countries such as Spain have numerous infirmaries and more than 400 Jesuits of the 950 members of the province are over 80 years of age; in others like Lithuania there are some rooms reserved for the elderly since only 5 of the 34 Jesuits of the province are over 80 years of age. These discussions were the main focus of the second meeting of treasurers of the European Conference of Provincials in Krakow. The approach wanted to be as holistic as possible including aspects of quality of life, pensions, living environment and religious, among others. The Jesuits have funds for the care of the elderly and health, but we need to encourage the development of campaigns of donation, fundraising and help to care for our sick and elderly. Before the meeting, Fr. Jaime Badiola, Spanish treasurer in the Steering Committee, prepared a useful actual analysis of the situation in each province and in the whole Conference. The speakers who participated live or by videoconference gave many keys to address the challenges we have in the provinces and regions of the JCEP:  Ms Beata Leszczyńska, director in Orpea Poland, explained the topic: How to manage health care business. Br. Luckas Dmowski Provincial Saint John of God Brothers, together with Dr. Alfonso Cruz, from Spain and Fr. Clement Nguyen SJ, from France, both specialists in health care, participated in a panel about How to take care of our elderly, sharing important criteria and ideas for a adequate care of the elderly (regarding to personal care, design of spaces, management, residence size, etc. and also physical, psychological and spiritual aspects). With the study of the situation in each province the treasurers declared their desire to continue with an actual analysis that would best help each of our units. Thanks to the presence of the General Treasurer of the Society, Fr. Thomas McClain, and his team, Fr. Antonio Delfao and Fr. Michel N'Tangu, the meeting was in contact with the world Society and the central directives from Rome. At the closing Mass the President of the Conference, Fr Franck Janin, stressed the importance of solidarity between the provinces in the light of the new Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus  The participants in the meeting stayed at the Ignatianum College and the Writers House. The logistics prepared and the welcoming given by the Southern Polish Province was outstanding. We have to thank both communities and to make a special mention to the Provincial, Fr. Jakub Kolacz, and to the treasurer, Fr. Artur Demkowicz, for the care of the group and the reception at the curia in Krakow. Finally, to deepen the experience the treasurers they also visited the Wieliczka salt mines. Fantastic.