JCAM and JCEP Exchange Visits to Deepen Intercontinental Collaboration
The gathering brought together fifteen provincials and one Regional Superior from the 16 Jesuit provinces and regions of Europe, together with the Province of the Near East. The three Assistants covering the Conference's territory joined them, along with JCEP President Dalibor Renić, SJ.
Fr. General’s presence: The assembly took on particular significance with the presence of Fr. General Arturo Sosa, SJ, who participated for almost the entire meeting. A particularly important moment came when Fr. General Arturo Sosa, SJ, addressed the major superiors regarding the 72nd Congregation of Procurators, Jesuit formation at the Conference level, and the mission of the Society in Europe. His address was discerned and discussed in depth with him over nearly an entire day of work.
Growing intercontinental collaboration: Fr. José Minaku, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM), who attended as part of the regular exchanges among Conferences shared with the European provincials detailed information about JCAM's current activities and explored avenues for deeper collaboration with JCEP. His presence reflected a growing recognition within the Society of Jesus that the challenges and gifts of one continent increasingly resonate with those of another.
The exchange between JCAM and JCEP is part of a broader effort to move beyond provincial or continental silos, embracing St. Ignatius's vision of a universal approach to mission. As the JCEP assembly noted, such wider perspectives allow major superiors to find "more creative collaborative answers to common challenges."
A Reciprocal Visit: Fr. Minaku's presence in Warsaw was not a one-way gesture. It follows the first-ever visit of Fr. Dalibor Renić, SJ, President of JCEP, to AFRICAMA House in Nairobi, the headquarters of JCAM earlier this year, in February. Fr. Minaku's visit builds directly on the fraternal exchange initiated by Fr. Dalibor, who during his time in Kenya, toured several ministries of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) in Kenya, strengthening inter-conference collaboration and shared mission. The visit included:
1. Meetings with the Directors of the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN) and the Jesuit Ecology Office
2. A visit to Hekima University College, a Jesuit institution of higher learning and theology, in Nairobi
3. Visits to Jesuit ministries in Kangemi informal settlement, where the Jesuit Eastern Africa Province mission accompanies the excluded and marginalised in society.
This reciprocal visit signals a new chapter in the relationship between the European and African conferences, moving from occasional exchange to sustained partnership in mission.
The 38th General Assembly was, "a time where issues could be treated and discerned from a universal perspective beyond the limited scope of the provinces." The personal encounter and mutual support among provincials remain among the most valued fruits of JCEP's work.
Fr. Minaku's presence ensured that Africa's voice, challenges, and hopes were woven into that discernment. This exchange moves from dialogue to embodied partnership between two conferences walking together in a shared mission.
