On 6 August 1981, Fr Pedro Arrupe, SJ, then Superior General of the Society of Jesus, visited the Jesuit community at Xavier Hall in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. It was the final stop on his apostolic visitation of Asia, in what he described as his “swan song”. During the visit, he heard about the early progress of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Asia – an organisation he had founded less than a year earlier in response to the humanitarian crisis of the Vietnamese “boat people”.

The following day, while returning to Rome, Fr Arrupe suffered a stroke that would eventually end his active ministry. Yet the work of JRS lived on, expanding far beyond its original mission to accompany, serve and advocate for millions of refugees, displaced persons and others living on the margins of society. Forty-five years later, the current Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr Arturo Sosa, SJ, visited the same Jesuit community in Bangkok to learn about the work JRS has carried out over the intervening decades and to hear about the challenges it faces today.

Fr Joseph Hampson, SJ, Regional Director of JRS Asia Pacific, together with Bonita Prasetyo, Urban Education Project Director for JRS Thailand, began the morning by outlining some of the greatest challenges confronting JRS across the region. The recent Iran-US conflict has contributed to an energy crisis across Asia, exacerbating displacement and exposing the widening gap between the region’s wealthiest and poorest nations. Meanwhile, the war in Myanmar continues unabated, with record levels of forced conscription and increased persecution of the Rohingya, leading to greater numbers of people making dangerous journeys by land and sea into neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

Climate change is also disproportionately affecting the Asia Pacific. Of the world’s land areas most vulnerable to extreme heat, sea-level rise, tropical cyclones and reduced water availability, around 70% are located in this region. In 2025 alone, climate-related disasters displaced an estimated 5.6 million people in the Philippines, 780,000 in Vietnam and 749,000 in Indonesia.Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, comes from the changing landscape of international politics. As traditional foreign policy – based on solidarity, partnership and mutual benefit – gives way to increasingly transactional relationships that often favour the wealthy and powerful, funding for humanitarian work has declined significantly, reducing the resources available to respond to today's most pressing crises.

Faced with challenges that often seem overwhelming, JRS continues to serve in ways that far exceed what its limited resources might suggest. Following the devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar in March, JRS was among the first non-governmental organisations to respond on the ground. It provided immediate food assistance to nearly 4,000 people, while a further 4,000 received in-kind support. JRS also reconstructed 78 shelters, repaired bridges and wells, and built a community centre to help families begin rebuilding their lives. Today, JRS continues to support displaced communities in Myanmar by providing education for children whose families have been uprooted by conflict and disaster.

Across the region, JRS adapts its mission to local needs. In Malaysia, it focuses on vocational training and language education. In Cambodia, it accompanies stateless people, refugees and asylum seekers. In Indonesia, JRS provides refugees with social and legal services, while in Singapore it offers digital skills training. In Australia, JRS runs advocacy programmes for migrant women and children who have experienced abuse, trafficking and domestic violence.

Throughout Asia, JRS provides essential services to people who have fallen through increasingly fragile social safety nets. From food and shelter to education, social work, mental health care and emergency assistance, JRS reaches an extraordinary number of people despite being a relatively small organisation. Yet JRS is not defined by numbers or statistics. At its heart, its mission is about people and their stories.

To illustrate this, JRS invited five refugees, migrants and asylum seekers to share their personal experiences with Fr General. He listened as they spoke about the realities of living as refugees or stateless persons – the daily struggle to secure food and housing, the constant fear of arrest or deportation, and the uncertainty that shapes every aspect of their lives. One guest described the anguish of being too afraid to seek urgent medical care for a loved one, or of suffering exploitation because those responsible knew that reporting the abuse to the authorities was simply not an option.Coming from Cambodia, Pakistan, Vietnam and Myanmar, these courageous men and women shared stories of resilience and hope as they strive to build better futures for themselves and their families, even as the limited assistance available to them continues to diminish.

At the conclusion of the session, Fr General thanked the guests for their courage in sharing such deeply personal experiences and expressed his appreciation for the work of JRS. Echoing Pope Leo’s call for the Society of Jesus to remain present at the frontiers of mission, he reaffirmed his solidarity with JRS Asia Pacific and encouraged its staff and volunteers to continue accompanying the poor, the powerless and the marginalised.

As Fr General departs Thailand for Indonesia – the final destination of his apostolic visitation – it is impossible not to reflect on how profoundly JRS has grown since Fr Arrupe bid farewell to the Jesuits of Thailand in 1981. What began as a response to one refugee crisis has become a global ministry of hope, accompanying countless people forced to flee their homes and reminding the world that, even amid immense suffering, human dignity must always remain at the centre of our shared mission.