Loyola 2022, a Congress of Networks

The Loyola 2022 Justice and Ecology Congress took place from 28^th March to 1^st April on the valley of Loyola (Spain). It was organised by the Jesuit European Social Centre along with Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, Renovabis and Saint Ignatius University Centre of Antwerp (Belgium).

The event hosted more than 200 participants at the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola to discuss social justice, sustainability, migration and spirituality. The participants joined from all over the world from numerous Jesuit works: Academics, Social Delegates, directors of Social Centres, etc. The aim of the Loyola 2022 Congress was to strengthen the Jesuit mission and seek better ways to implement the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPS): Showing the way to God, Walking with the Excluded, Journeying with Youth and Caring for our Common Home.

The president of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, Franck Janin SJ, intervened in the opening session:

Let us take hold of this Congress. Let us be actors in it. Let us put depth into it. Dare to intervene, to speak out. As Pope Francis says, “go forward, make noise”.

Franck Janin SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials

Three topics were discussed during the Congress:

• Integral Ecology: Our Common Home, with the Jesuit and socio-political activist Jörg Alt SJ; Sabin Bieri, social geographer from Centre for Development and Environment; Javier Arellano Yanguas, researcher from the University of Deusto Universidad Deusto, and a group of youth climate Jesuit volunteers.
• Refugees and movement of peoples: on the way, with Fr. Fabio Baggio, from Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Amaya Valcárcel and Michael Schöpf SJ from the Jesuit Refugee Service International (Italy).
• Changing hearts, minds and systems. The day started with a morning prayer and an invitation to participants to join different rounds on workshops from various speakers, focused on several topics  from ecology to sustainability, migration, justice and spirituality.

The 18 workshops included various aspects related to climate change, sustainability, spirituality, ecological conversion and education, among many others. Jesuit Network took part in the event with a workshop about the lessons learned of collaboration and networking over the last years.

At the end of the congress, both Xavier Network and JRS Europe, as well as the European Social Centers had their respective meetings taking advantage of the face-to-face meeting. For all of them it was the first face-to-face meeting after the COVID period.

More info on the meeting can be found at the official website https://www.loyola2022.eu/