Jesuits continue to discuss identity, future of their ministry

Published: 2008-02-08

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Members of the Jesuit General Congregation are continuing to discuss what it means to be a Jesuit today with concrete directions for their ministries and for living their vow of obedience. At the end of the congregation's third week of work on possible decrees to guide the Society of Jesus, Italian Father Carlo Casalone said identity and mission, the structure of the society, obedience and collaboration with others continue to be the topics of focus. Father Casalone, a member of the congregation, met with reporters Feb. 8 at Jesuit headquarters. The themes were proposed to the congregation by provincial gatherings of Jesuits more than a year ago, but also reflect the delegates' concerns after studying and discussing a report on the status of the Society of Jesus worldwide. On the question of identity, Father Casalone said, "obviously, we are not starting from zero," but from the writings of Jesuit founder St. Ignatius of Loyola, the history of the society and the needs and pressures of the modern world. Father Casalone said an eventual document on Jesuit identity is likely to contain a strong section on Jesuits and ecology, a topic many provinces had asked the congregation to discuss.

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