Pope Francis last week approved the four ‘Universal Apostolic Preferences’ that will be taken up by Jesuits worldwide for the next 10 years. These highlight areas where Jesuits will offer their attention and resources.

Fr Gianfranco Matarazzo, provincial of the Jesuits’ Euro-Mediterranean Province, of which Malta forms part.Fr Gianfranco Matarazzo, provincial of the Jesuits’ Euro-Mediterranean Province, of which Malta forms part.

Unlike other religious orders, the Jesuits have a special fourth vow of obedience to the Pope, and Fr Arturo Sosa, SJ, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus (the official name of the Jesuit order), had passed on the four Universal Apostolic Preferences to Pope Francis for his consideration a few days previously. The Pope returned them to Fr Sosa as a direct mission from the Holy Father for the whole Society of Jesus, the world’s largest male religious order with 15,536 members as at February 15.

Fr Sosa announced that the order’s four preferences for the coming decade are ‘the promotion of discernment and the spiritual exercises’; ‘Walking with the excluded’ – the poor, the vulnerable, the excluded and those whom society considers worthless, in a mission of reconciliation and justice; ‘Caring for our common home’, implying work, with Gospel depth, for the protection and renewal of God’s creation; and finally, ‘Journeying with youth’, accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.

The choice of these Universal Apostolic Preferences is the result of a two-year discernment process by the worldwide Society of Jesus, which was started when the delegates of the Order’s 36th General Congregation asked then newly elected Superior General Fr Sosa to review the 2003 universal apostolic preferences. These had prioritised ministries in China and Africa, the intellectual apostolate, the Jesuit Roman houses, and among migrants and refugees.

Our charism shows vitality and an ability to interact with current issues

Fr Gianfranco Matarazzo, provincial of the Euro-Mediterranean Province, of which Malta forms part, commented: “It’s a new interpretation of our reality. It’s inspiring and strongly spiritual. Jesuits around the world have been able to update their mission through this enriching process of listening and discerning.

“Our charism shows vitality and an ability to interact with current issues. In relation to the contemporary world, it has been able to express certain options and at the same time renounce to others, despite their importance and urgency. This is also evident when comparing the current reformulation of planning contents with the previous one.”

Journeying with youth, accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.Journeying with youth, accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.

Asked how much the universal preferences reflect the concerns of the Euro-Mediterranean Province, Fr Matarazzo replied: “In this spiritual tension between horizons, I see an evident complementarity between the four universal apostolic preferences, which are inspirational, and the four objectives of the apostolic plan of our province, which are binding: Ignatian formation of apostolic leaders, the proclamation of the Gospel to the new generations, the care of the style of apostolic communities, the establishment of integral ecological ways of proceeding, while listening to the poor.”

For further information visit https://Jesuits.global/en/uap

Alison Vella is communications officer of the Jesuit Euro-Mediterranean Province – Malta.

Caring for our common home, implying work, with Gospel depth, for the protection and renewal of God’s creation.Caring for our common home, implying work, with Gospel depth, for the protection and renewal of God’s creation.

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