2023 marks the second year of the Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus. In the past two years, the Women’s Commission has conducted various activities to respond to the call of Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J. to
1) evaluate the appropriation of General Congregation 34’s Decree 14, “Jesuits and  the Situation of Women in Church & Civil Society”;
2) evaluate the participation and position of women and the structures of collaboration at all levels in institutions of the Society of Jesus and its apostolic works; and
3) make recommendations to the different levels of leadership in the Society of Jesus to strengthen the mission of the Society with the active participation of women.

Between April 2022 and January 2023, the Commission with guidance from the Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC) of the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines developed a global survey aimed to provide insights into the following questions: how are women’s roles and responsibilities within Jesuit institutions and activities perceived by women and men, including religious sisters and Jesuits; how are these perceptions about women translated into current practices and ways of moving forward in Jesuit institutions; and what recommendations can the Women’s Commission present to the Superior General of the Jesuits to enhance further engagement of women in Jesuit institutions.

This work led to the in-person meeting in the General Curia in Rome in October 2022 which established a way of proceeding among a diverse global Commission in which the human and social justice dimensions are at the core of every reflection, discussion, and decision-making. 

The Commission met with Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J., his General Council, and with members of the Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology and of the Jesuit Refugee Service. Additionally, the commissioners held conversations with the under-secretary of the Synod of Bishops, Sister Nathalie Becquart, and with religious sisters representatives of the Union of International Superiors General. These meetings were of great relevance to the work of the Commission since they placed particular emphasis on women's experience in and with the Society of Jesus.

The ongoing survey responds to the spirit of Decree 14 of General Congregation 34 and our current social reality. The survey is the result of a collaborative effort by the Commission and the IPC Team, as months of consultation, review, contextualization/translation, and pre-testing took place, not only between the Commission and the research team but also with each Commissioner's closest Jesuit colleagues, to create a survey that was culturally sensitive and globally acceptable. The survey has been already translated into nine languages to increase its reach.

Cecilia Vanneste

Download the proposals for prayer and reflection
at the Second Anniversary of the Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus