The Xavier Network is an international mission and development partnership bringing together Jesuit organisations working in faith to promote justice worldwide. Given that the majority of the Jesuit organization that compose the Xavier Network are from the European provinces, Xavier Network is canonically dependent of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials. This collaboration at a higher level allows the different Jesuit organization to reach a higher and more global level of agency that would be impossible for them just on their own. Closely connected to the mission of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, the network serves as a key expression of Jesuit collaboration in the field of development and humanitarian action, linking European provinces with global partners and apostolates. Find out more about Xavier Network Here.

Hosted by MAGIS Italy (NGO), the Xavier Network (XN) concluded on their 3-day meeting this week in Rome on March 11-13. Operating for over 22 years, the 14 Jesuit Mission Offices and NGOs from Europe, North America and Australia support Jesuit development programs, apostolates and networks serving vulnerable communities in over 75 countries annually.

The meeting gave opportunity to strengthen collaboration with the Society of Jesus Curia in Rome, including re-affirming communication channels between XN and the Curia for coordinated responses to humanitarian emergencies.  Since the first emergency joint response in 2004 to the Tsumani in Indonesia, the XN has responded to 20 joint emergencies. With this month’s initiation of the XN Middle East Emergency Response, the meeting gave opportunity to apply successes and learnings from XN’s on-going responses including XN’s Ukraine Response over the last 4 years with key Jesuit partners.

The approval of the XN Strategic Reflection at the meeting, re-enforced the XN commitment to applying the XN minimum requirements in safeguarding with all partners. XN members reflected on the  safeguarding supports provided to Jesuit partners since 2019, including the encouragement of a minimum of 3% safeguarding budget line for our partners to apply across all their proposals.

Given the participation of the General Treasurer of the Society of Jesus at the meeting, chance was taken to summarise the financial investment of the XN annually to our Jesuit partners, which has ranged from €56 – €77 million each year over the last 20 years.

Strategic Partnerships with Fe y Alegria and JRS were explored in more detail, inviting Directors at International level to give valuable inputs to strategy going forward.

Heartfelt farewells were shared with two long-term serving Directors – Teresa Paiva Couceiro of Fundação Gonçalo da Silveira (FGS) and Paul Chitnis of Jesuit Missions in Britain – two pillars within the XN who dedicated 21 and 14 years respectively to their Jesuit NGOs.