The Groupe des Deux Rives was hosted by the Jesuit community in Ankara, which serves the Latin Catholic parish of Sainte Thérèse, between 28 and 31 December 2023: Jean-Marc Balhan and Alexis Doucet (Ankara), Damien de Préville and Jesús León (Algiers), Christophe Ravanel (Constantine), Àlvar Sánchez (Nador), Laurent Basanese (Rome), Jaume Flaquer (Granada) and Josep Buades (Sevilla). The two days of exchanges highlighted the continuity and changes in each other’s mission fields: furrows to be dug deeper, cycles coming to an end, openings to new fields... In fact, one of the group’s richness is to be found in their variety: service to the Holy See for inter-religious dialogue, service to local Churches, the teaching of Theology and theological reflection, spiritual accompaniment, service to minority Christian communities in predominantly Muslim countries, service to migrants, etc.

Sharing also touches on the context in which the members of the group carry out their missions: in Turkey (Ankara, and other places from the capital, such as Konya), Algeria (Constantine and Algiers), Morocco (Nador, Marrakech and Laayoune), Spain (Granada and Seville) and the Holy See (in community in the International Roman Houses). One project caught the Group's attention: the accompaniment of migrants and refugees in transit through West Africa and southern Morocco to the Canary Islands (Spain), which is carried out by part of the Jesuit community in Morocco from Nador (in the north, on the Mediterranean coast) to Laayoune (in the south, in the Sahara, almost on the Atlantic coast).

The issues facing society, the Society of Jesus, the local Churches, and the universal Church (clearly, the case of the Holy See) take up a lot of space. This year we are deeply touched by the suffering of people hit by war (particularly in Gaza, but also in other places), earthquakes (in the Turkish province of Hatay, in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco) and those who brave death in migration. In our discussions, we also talk about our encounters and our friendship with Muslims, as well as the accompaniment of those who encounter Christ, make their way and, eventually, ask for baptism.

Accompanying Jean-Marc Balhan in his Eucharistic service at the parish of Saint Paul in Konya on Saturday 30 gave us the opportunity to meet a small, very cosmopolitan Catholic community: a few Turks, a few Burundians, Congolese (DRC and Brazzaville), a Spaniard... Also in Konya, the spiritual influence of Mevlana Rumi (a great mystic of the 13th century) touched us. Accompanying Alexis Doucet to parish mass in Ankara also gave us the opportunity to meet a young Turkish Catholic community that is still on the move. The city walks in Ankara gave us a taste of the great diversity to be found in Turkish society.