On 18 November 2025, Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (JECSE) and the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) hosted an online webinar titled “Advancing Sustainability in Jesuit Schools: The Experience of a Three-School Pilot Project”. The event brought together members of the Jesuit Global Network of Schools (JGNS) and other religious education networks to explore the experiences of three Jesuit schools located in Malta and France which have participated in the pilot phase of the JESC Carbon Initiative (JCI), a project by JESC aimed at supporting faith organisations in their ecological transition. Learning from Practice: how schools assess their experience with JCI During the webinar, representatives from St Aloysius Primary School (Malta), Lycée Sainte-Geneviève in Versailles (France), and Ensemble Scolaire Fénelon-La Trinité in Lyon (France) shared their experiences of carrying out the JCI environmental assessment. Across the three cases, several key learnings emerged. Schools emphasised the importance of adapting the assessment process to their specific context and, while data collection was often demanding, this challenge also became an essential moment of capacity-building, prompting internal cooperation, clarification of roles, and increased awareness among staff about the environmental impact of daily operations. Another central insight concerned the value of community engagement. All schools noted that involving teachers, staff, students, and families was crucial not only for gathering data but also for fostering a shared sense of ownership over efforts to make the school more sustainable. In Malta, even young pupils contributed to shaping the action plan; in France, the assessment became a catalyst for training days, assemblies, and presentations aimed at building a common understanding of the school’s environmental footprint. The findings themselves proved transformative, offering each school a clear picture of its environmental impacts and the key areas requiring early attention to begin shaping an effective ecological transition. Insights from the project helped schools identify their priorities for change and translate them into concrete actions. At St Aloysius Primary School, the results informed a new strategic plan designed to implement the recommendations emerging from the assessment. At Sainte-Geneviève, the footprint analysis supported the development of a transition roadmap and quickly became a key tool for raising ecological awareness among newly arrived students.In sum, the JCI assessment became far more than a diagnostic exercise: it served as a catalyst for genuine institutional transformation, strengthening community participation and embedding sustainability more deeply across the life of the school. The pilot experience thus confirmed the value of a structured, measurable, and community-based approach to sustainability in schools. Participating schools reported strengthened governance structures, improved systems for monitoring key environmental indicators, and the explicit integration of ecological objectives into staff development, student initiatives, and parental engagement. From Vision to Action: integrating frameworks for ecological transition The second half of the webinar featured a presentation from the EOF province, which introduced the AILE (Loyola Education) pathway, a comprehensive framework designed to accompany Jesuit schools in France on their ecological transition journey. Centred on three interconnected pillars - student education, adult formation and change management, and the practical transformation of school operations - the AILE pathway ensures that ecological commitment is woven into every dimension of school life. Rooted in the spirit of Laudato Si’ and fully aligned with Ignatian pedagogy, it integrates spiritual, cognitive, emotional, and social competencies to help students grasp the ecological crisis and develop the capacity to respond meaningfully. The presentation also underscored the importance of adult leadership, strong governance, and coordinated strategies, offering concrete tools such as training modules, steering committee models, and action-planning guides. Through this contribution, the EOF Province illustrated how a holistic, mission-driven approach can help schools move from intention to sustained, systemic ecological change. For attendees, the webinar offered a valuable illustration of how the EOF Province’s AILE pathway and the JCI assessment work together to support schools in their ecological transition. The AILE framework provided a broader horizon: a mission-driven, holistic approach showing how ecological commitment can be embedded into formation, leadership, and school governance. Complementing this, the JCI assessment was presented as a concrete tool capable of operationalising vision-providing schools with a clear environmental baseline, a structured methodology for designing change, and an inclusive process that brings the entire community together.  In all, the webinar showcased how Jesuit education is mobilising around the integration of ecology and sustainability at both the network and school levels. Participants saw how a strong, mission-aligned framework such as the EOF Province’s AILE pathway can orient schools toward a holistic ecological vision, while assessment-based tools like JCI provide the practical means to move from fragmented initiatives to coherent, science-based sustainability strategies. These tools help transform schools into spaces of environmental management and shared learning, an experience that is profoundly educational in itself. Together, these approaches highlighted the potential of Jesuit educational institutions to serve as living laboratories of ecological transition, forming young people and adults who are equipped to respond to today’s environmental crisis with competence, hope, and a renewed sense of responsibility. In doing so, they embody the Jesuit mission to promote reconciliation with creation and reflect the deepest aims of Ignatian education: to form persons of discernment, committed to the common good, and capable of shaping a more just and sustainable world. * To learn more about the JESC Carbon Initiative (JCI) please click here to download the project brochure. Telmo Olascoaga Michel JESC Ecology Officer

From 11 to 22 November 2025, the city of Belém do Pará (Brazil) hosted the thirtieth United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30—a milestone summit brought to the heart of the Amazon at a moment of profound urgency for the planet. For the first time in history, the COP took place in the world’s largest tropical rainforest, a region central to global climate stability and home to countless Indigenous communities whose voices are essential in the struggle for climate justice. The Society of Jesus, through the Jesuits for Climate Justice campaign, played a coordinated and visible role throughout the summit. A diverse delegation of Jesuits and collaborators gathered from social centres, including the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC), universities, international networks to advocate for a just ecological transition grounded in human dignity. Their participation spanned official negotiations in the Blue Zone, the vibrant civil society spaces of the People’s Summit, and the Tapirí Ecuménico, where churches came together for interfaith dialogue on caring for our common home. The following article offers a comprehensive overview of the outcomes of COP30, the advances made, and the significant gaps that remain—as well as how Jesuit networks contributed to shaping global conversations at this critical juncture. The thirtieth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) concluded in Belém do Pará after two weeks of intense negotiations and diplomatic challenges. In this context, the presence of the Society of Jesus—through the global Jesuits for Climate Justice campaign—stood out for its coordinated international action and strong engagement on crucial issues of climate justice. For the first time, an international Jesuit campaign brought together around thirty Jesuits and collaborators from social centres, universities, international networks, and the Fe y Alegría Federation. The delegation participated both in the official COP30 spaces, where diplomatic delegations and accredited organisations meet, and in the People’s Summit—home to social movements—as well as the Tapirí Ecuménico, an interfaith space dedicated to dialogue on the care of our common home. A Shared Religious Voice for Climate Justice During the first week, the group helped disseminate Religious Life for Climate Justice: Turning Hope into Action, a document produced with several religious networks and institutions. Its demands focused on three key pillars: ensuring a Just Transition supported by grant-based financing that does not increase the debt burden of vulnerable countries; establishing operational mechanisms for the Loss and Damage Fund; promoting the reform of the global financial architecture, including the cancellation of climate-related debt. On 20 November, Fr. Anderson Pedroso SJ, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, presented the campaign’s official statement to the COP30 President, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago. The following day, these proposals were shared at a press conference in the Blue Zone. Progress Made—But Still Not Enough After several stalled drafts, the Brazilian presidency finally released the Mutirâo Global document. It proposes to triple adaptation finance by 2030, launch a “Belém Mission for 1.5°C”, open new dialogues on trade, and establish a two-year work programme on climate finance. However, the absence of explicit commitments to phase out fossil fuels and the lack of a clear strategy to tackle deforestation were widely criticised. These gaps reflect the influence of oil-producing countries and the limits of consensus-based negotiations. Among the positive developments, a coalition of states led by Colombia called for a global roadmap to eliminate fossil fuels and announced that Colombia and the Netherlands will host the first Global Transition Conference in 2026. A Major Step Forward: The Just Transition Mechanism One of COP30’s most significant achievements was the creation of an institutional mechanism to coordinate the Just Transition. Until now, discussions on justice in energy transitions largely centred on employment and job conversion. Today, however, initiatives have expanded to include broader concerns such as energy access, raw materials, and energy poverty. This new mechanism will help establish common principles, channel funding, and coordinate global action. The Justice in Mining Network, together with the Jesuit campaign, advocated strongly for this mechanism during a roundtable on energy, critical minerals, and finance—highlighting its potential to unify disparate initiatives under a framework rooted in human rights and environmental protection. A Spirit That Continues Beyond the Summit Beyond the formal negotiations, the experience in Belém left a lasting impression. The vitality of civil society, encounters with Indigenous peoples, and the warmth of interreligious engagement revealed the strength of global solidarity. More than 400 Catholic organisations signed a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to ecological conversion and the care of our common home. Although COP30 has come to a close, the spirit of Belém—a blend of denunciation, solidarity, and celebration—remains alive. The Society of Jesus will continue working to ensure that the voices of the most vulnerable are heard and that the struggle for climate justice advances with determination.

On 11 September 2025, JCEP had the joy of welcoming two newly appointed European Provincials: Fr Pavel Bačo SJ, Provincial of the Czech Province (BOH), and Fr Ronny Alessio SJ, Provincial of the Euro-Mediterranean Province (EUM), which includes Albania, Italy, Malta, and Romania. They were accompanied by Fr Gonzalo Villagrán SJ, newly appointed Socius of the President of JCEP. The visit began at the Chapel for Europe, where the Provincials discovered the ecumenical mission of this Jesuit-led space at the heart of the EU Quarter. They learned how the Chapel offers a place of prayer and reflection for people engaged in European affairs, while also fostering dialogue between Christian traditions. At the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC), staff presented their work in Brussels and highlighted collaborations with other Jesuit institutions across Provinces and the wider Society of Jesus, including global initiatives such as the ongoing COP30 campaign. The encounter gave the Provincials a deeper insight into how JESC connects Ignatian spirituality with social, political, and ecological issues in the European context. A joint coffee break with the team of JRS Europe followed, providing an informal moment of fraternity before the Provincials continued their visit at the JRS offices. Welcomed by Director Fr Alberto Ares SJ, they engaged in dialogue about projects underway across Europe and the pressing challenges of migration and asylum. The exchange reaffirmed the shared Jesuit mission to accompany, serve, and advocate for refugees and forcibly displaced people. The Provincials also met with the Coordinator of Religious Teachers at the European Schools of Brussels, Annie Thumelaire. They gained insight into the opportunities and challenges of teaching religion in a multilingual, multicultural setting. This series of encounters offered the Provincials a living picture of Jesuit apostolic engagement in Brussels—spiritual, social, intellectual, and educational. Their visit confirmed the richness of collaboration across Jesuit Provinces and institutions in Europe. It also highlighted the value of these European works of the Society, which provide the Provinces with a real presence and genuine access to the European milieu in Brussels.

Benoît Willemaers, Belgian Jesuit and Secretary for European Affairs at the Jesuit European Social Center, wrote recently an article about Ursula Von Der Leyen's "Estate of the Union speech". On Wednesday, 10th September, Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual State of the Union speech, the first of her second term as President of the European Commission. She styled it as a call to unity for a Union embattled, fighting for an independent place in a hostile world. If her previous exercise, in September 2023, appeared to us a bit too self-congratulatory and falling short of taking Europeans’ worries seriously, this speech was definitely an attempt to address head-on the challenges facing Europe: geopolitical, social, and ecological. Her opening on continued support for Ukraine was not unexpected. While forceful, it was also fairly consensual thinking, stressing the need for more sanctions as well as more European help for Ukraine’s institutions and defense industry. Her obvious frustration with European divisions on Gaza was perhaps less expected, announcing reduced cooperation with Israel where the Commission has the authority to do so, along with propositions to the Council to suspend part of the Association Agreement or to sanction violent settlers and nationalist ministers. Finally, confronted with a shifting world order, courtesy of Trump, Putin, and Xi, von der Leyen defended her policy of pushing for more trade alliances (Mercosur), all while minimizing the impact of US vagaries and attempting to make the EU less reliant on China.  In the line of listening more to citizens, social concerns took a front seat. Actions on a quality jobs act, on a strategy against poverty or on various living costs aspects (energy, housing, food, cars) were announced. In a broader societal context, her intervention also focused on the traditional press and social media, defending the role of the former as democracy’s backbone and promising to protect children from the dangers of the latter.  Ecological concerns also popped up here and there in the speech. A mention of farmers as “custodians of our lands and oceans, our biodiversity.” A development on the circular economy. A defense of electric cars. A recognition of the impact of climate change on forest fires. A reminder of the goals on emission reduction, those already agreed for 2050 as well as those proposed by the Commission for 2040. This said, while there is much we can agree with, we must point out underlying concerns on how these various challenges are tackled and what is missing in the speech.  It is obvious when it comes to ecology: policies apparently must be sold for their tangible economic (opening new markets) or geopolitical (independence) benefits they bring. They also favor, as often, a very technological approach, with a focus on “green” energy. If a circular economy is mentioned, it is in a narrow perspective of having the materials to produce ever more. If that is what it takes to save elements of the Green Deal (thankfully mentioned), so be it. But one cannot help but wonder if this technological mindset is at the level of cultural change required to confront the roots of the ecological crisis. On social aspects, the main worry is evidently the lack of strong competences of the EU, which could lead to disappointing results. Time will tell. Von der Leyen also calls for “all of society, all lawmakers and all stakeholders to come together” in tackling the housing problem. This presupposes a healthy society, in which civil society is vibrant and local initiatives are supported. The approach of the Commission with civil society will be under test in the coming months and years. Funding for civil society initiatives will probably be reduced under the upcoming financial framework. Even more fundamentally, a delicate balance will have to be found by the soon-to-come Democracy Shield aiming to fight disinformation without smothering free speech and association. On geopolitics and trade, the silent part is what constitutes just trade. As for now, it is mostly considered through the lens of Europe’s interests and competitiveness. How political, social, and environmental concerns will survive this focus is anyone’s guess. The recent undermining of the due diligence directive is not inspiring a lot of confidence. Neither is the treatment of the migration question. Considered only under the perspectives of increasing returns of denied asylum seekers and of the fight against human trafficking, the approach is purely defensive, with little thought given to the root causes of migration. Sadly, nothing new here in the last two years. But all this might be missing the point. Von der Leyen evidently attempted to offer bridges to the various partners of her coalition in the Parliament: keeping competitiveness at the front while defending some social and climate goals, defending her deal with Trump while playing up her red lines on digital regulations, pushing for a rearmament of Europe while saving humanitarian principles for Gaza, … If indeed the goal was to find unity, this was in vain and the debate that followed was a sad demonstration of it.  If automatic criticism from the extremes in the assembly was to be expected, the desire to find a new common ground was mostly absent. The leader of the EPP used the moment to taunt the other centrist parties under the tune of “we won the elections, now apply our program.” The answer of the S&D was a strong denunciation of von der Leyen’s agreement with Trump. Only Renew seized on von der Leyen’s speech, running with her calls for institutional changes (right of initiative for the Parliament, generalization of qualified majority voting) and pushing it further. But while there might be merit in the idea that part of the paralysis of the EU is due to its functioning, it is only a small part. The reality is that divisions run deep among countries and political families. Those divisions were sadly on show yesterday. Benoit Willemaers SJJESC Secretary for European Affairs

The Europe@Heart 2025 weekend happening in Namur (Sept 19-21) brought together policy experts, spiritual leaders, civil society, and both young and established professionals interested in the green transition. Europe@Heart is an initiative from the Jesuit European Social Center focused on offering a moment of reflection on key issues for today's Europe. This initiative is led by the team of JESC under the direction of Filipe Martins SJ. The event opened with a climate wine tasting, featuring wines from unusual and upcoming wine regions across Europe. Its aim was to shed light on the changing landscape of viticulture, a crucial industry of our continent. We did have a lively debate around which taste appealed to whom and some of us have definitely discovered that charcoal taste in wine is not for us.   Plenary sessions combined with smaller group deliberations including the speakers is the format we follow each year, allowing space for the participants to actively engage with our guests and each other. The panels were revolving around the following questions: Why aren’t we all equally worried about the climate crisis? Could it be forced? And how can spirituality help us address the problem?  In the current global turmoil, decision makers constantly find themselves pushed to prioritize among competing crises; the climate, economy, social issues etc. In Saturday morning’s panel, speaker Chiara Martinelli (Director of CAN Europe) pertinently pointed out that the crisis we are facing is actually one crisis. The crisis of our model of production and consumption. Of the painstaking realisation that there is a limit to bending reality to our wishes. Of the harsh consequences of abandoning the concept of unity with nature and others. The dangerous change in our political direction derives from the instrumentalized distrust of those who have been betrayed by the system. Those who have been deprived of their ability to take care about what they care about, by those whose guiding principles are profit above all else.  Continuously, Saturday afternoon’s panel looked at the role of businesses and how the narrative shaping the debate can be reclaimed and put in service of the people. Participatory democracy can similarly help us leverage the ability, creativity and power of the many. And while forcing the change seems tempting given the urgency, long lasting transformations can only be done with everyone on board. We invited Mark Montegriffo to perform a short music concert on Saturday evening, and the beautifully crafted lyrics set the scene for the Sunday morning’s panel addressing spirituality. We were looking for the answers to how spirituality can help us become greener. By adjusting our relationship to others, to our community and other communities, by asking more profound questions about one’s place in the collective are all ways to allow spirituality work in us. Furthermore, while technology has a crucial place in the mix of solutions, it cannot be the sole solution in itself. It would risk benefitting mostly those who thrive in the current unequal system.  We are grateful to all our participants for trusting us with their time and sharing the various perspectives to enrich mind and soul. 

EcoJesuit has launched its newest campaign, 'Letters to the Earth', inviting communities, schools, and parishes to share their voices through letters and creative reflections calling for climate justice in the lead-up to COP30, the UN climate summit taking place in Belém, Brazil from 10–21 November 2025. This is what they have to say on this topic: At the heart of this initiative is you. Everyone is encouraged to write a personal letter, create artwork, or share another imaginative response expressing your concerns, hopes, and commitments for the future of our common home. To support your participation, EcoJesuit has developed digital handbooks for different age groups. These introduce ecological and theological themes from Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum, with reflection questions, scripture-based meditations, and real-life case studies from Jesuit ministries worldwide. The handbooks are freely available to download on the EcoJesuit website here. The initiative forms part of the wider Jesuits for Climate Justice: Faith in Action at COP30 campaign. This global mobilisation is calling on world leaders to: - Cancel the debts of poorer countries - Ensure a just transition to renewable energy - Adopt sustainable, agroecological food systems