Communication officers from the various European Jesuit provinces met in London from 8 to 11 May. What challenges do they face? 

In a pale London spring sunshine, small groups of communicators of the Society of Jesus in Europe put their chairs together to exchange what Jesuit communication is about. They are meeting in London for the annual JesWebCom three-day event. The first day is dedicated to Ignatian spirituality, with speakers including Damian Howard SJ, Paul Nicholson SJ and Nikolaas Sintobin SJ. 

Communication in consolation 

Paul Nicholson began the morning session with a guided meditation, an Examen, as it is called in the Ignatian tradition. This form of prayer is in a sense a training to discern daily where God is at work. The prayer asks: where have I experienced consolation; peace, joy, love, hope. And where desolation; emptiness, confusion, suffering. Without ignoring desolation, perhaps communication within and about the Society of Jesus can be about comfort? Telling stories about where God is at work and so helping to build the Kingdom of God. As Ignatius asked the Jesuits he was working with: write me letters about the work you are doing. Letters that were often circulated in large numbers and whose testimony moved many hearts, not the least of young men to become Jesuits and share in this mission. 

Communication in desolation 

But what to make out of desolation? With the suffering? With the evil? That question became painfully urgent and relevant when communicators of four provinces shared their experiences of communication around (sexual) abuse in their province. What important lessons have been learned? Three lessons were shared by all involved. 

1. Victims always come first. Believe them, invite them to speak and listen to their stories. When communicating externally, invite other victims to come and tell their stories.
2. Be proactive. Don't wait for journalists to come forward with stories. Know about the abuse cases in your province. Tell those who are responsible to keep you updated. And communicate transparently about it. The French-speaking province comes out with an update every six months on any new and ongoing abuse cases.
3. Be humble. Admit mistakes were made. Recognize that Jesuits are no better than other people.

Using social media 

Another challenge widely felt is: how do we communicate on social media? Particularly on Instagram and TikTok. It all starts with a strategy, became clear in the experience of head of communications at JRS Britain and the workshop that followed. The first question is: what do we want to achieve on social media? What is our goal? In teams of five, the communicators enthusiastically set to work creating Reels, short videos for Instagram. A lot of lessons were learned in just an hour. It now is only a matter of time before Jesuits everywhere in Europe go viral. 

Heartfelt farewell 

The most emotive moment of the meeting was the announcement that Philip Debruyne will stop serving as webmaster of JCEP after 16 years of excellent work. The group honored with him a standing ovation for several minutes.  

Overall, the meeting served as a platform for exchange, learning, and reflection on the challenges faced by Jesuit communication officers in Europe, with the goal of improving communication practices and fulfilling the mission of the Society of Jesus. Surely, everyone left London to their offices with fresh ideas, new cooperation possibilities and renewed energy. 

Rick Timmermans 

(Final remark by JCEP team)