Highlighting the role of women in strengthening mission
It is certainly rare to have more women than men attending a meeting at the General Curia. This is the situation at the Curia from 22 to 29 October, when the Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus is meeting in Rome. Created by Father General Arturo Sosa, this working group includes 6 lay women, 1 religious woman, 4 Jesuits and 1 lay man. The first objective of the group is to evaluate the implementation of the spirit of Decree 14 of the 34th General Congregation entitled Jesuits and the situation of women in the Church and in civil society.
The Commission evaluates the participation and position of women and the structures
of collaboration at all levels in the institutions of the Society of Jesus and
its apostolic works. It also makes recommendations to the different levels of
leadership within the Society of Jesus to strengthen the mission of the Society
with the active participation of women.
A moment of sharing during the meeting.
The meeting provides an opportunity to live and work in one place, a big advantage for the participants after the global pandemic prevented these face-to-face meetings, which are very important for a topic deeply marked by the human dimension. The session is not intended to bring the work of the Commission to a close, rather it is about preparing the guidelines and structure for a document to be presented to the General Council, and then to the Superior General himself, in view of the continuation of the work.
The analysis of Decree 14 mentioned above, the contribution of the Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology – involved from the beginning because of the social dimension of the subject – and the more recent context of synodality in the Church, are among the inputs for this session. There was also an encounter with the JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service) team, an organisation where women play important roles at many levels. Finally, prayer is omnipresent in the gathering: spiritual conversation, Eucharist, visit to the rooms of St Ignatius, practice of the Ignatian Examen.
After
the meeting, we will offer some testimonies from some of the participants – especially
from the female participants.
The Mass with Father General.
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