In a letter to Fr. Antonio Moreno, President of the Jesuit Conference of Asia-Pacific (JCAP), Father General announced a change of jurisdiction for the mission in Pakistan. The mission, as of 1 April, will be under the responsibility of JCAP. Currently there are three Jesuits working in Lahore and five scholastics of Pakistan mission studying in Indonesia.

Here is an excerpt from the letter of Father General.

“For several years now, the Pakistan mission has been entrusted to the Sri Lanka Province. Recently however, difficulties have arisen that have made it extremely difficult for Sri Lanka to support the mission in Pakistan. First, geopolitical factors have severely restricted travel from Sri Lanka to Pakistan. Second, an acute shortage of Jesuit personnel in Sri Lanka has come to a point that the Province is no longer able to send Jesuits to Pakistan, now or in the near future.

Ideally, other units of the South Asian Assistancy should come to the rescue, given its geographical and cultural proximity to Pakistan. Unfortunately, neither is this possible, given the longstanding hostility between India and Pakistan, and the impossibility of travel between these two countries.

It is in consideration of these points, that through this letter, I entrust the responsibility for the mission in Pakistan to the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP), with the JCAP President as the mission’s Major Superior for three years ad experimentum, beginning 1 April 2023.

I am confident, Fr. Moreno, that with your leadership and the assistance from the other Major Superiors of Asia Pacific, the mission in Pakistan will be able to carry on with its good work, and receive adequate guidance, sustenance, and support.”