In this edited extract from an article first
published in Promotio Iustitiae, Fr Marcos Recolons SJ reflects
on how the effects of GC35 can be experienced through four specific aspects of
Jesuit ideology: a new focus on reconciliation, a new concept of frontier, a
new way of relating with nature, and apostolic planning at all levels of
governance.
The Social
Justice Secretariat has asked me to comment in the light of my own apostolic
experience on the decree of GC35, ‘Challenges to our Mission Today: Sent to the
Frontiers', especially as regards what is new in the decree. I begin by stating
that my own apostolic experience has consisted mostly of work among the
indigenous subsistence farmers of Bolivia and has been carried out in
collaboration with fellow Jesuits as well as other religious and lay people.
Given that GC35
reaffirms the formulation of the Society's mission as enunciated in GC32 and
GC34, we may ask ourselves what this GC offers by way of new elements. I will
express my own viewpoint with regard to four specific aspects: a new focus on
reconciliation, a new concept of frontier, a new way of relating with nature,
and apostolic planning at all levels of governance.
First of all,
GC35 brings a new focus that does much to give a sense of unity to our mission.
The service of faith, promotion of justice and dialogue with culture and other
religious traditions should all be done from the perspective of reconciliation.
Secondly, the
decree on which we are now commenting has produced a new concept: the frontier.
In a globalised world, ideas, information, merchandise, technology and capital
circulate freely; persons also circulate, though with many more restrictions.
Frontiers have become porous, and in many cases they have disappeared. The
world has become multi-religious and multi-cultural. There is no longer a
notion of Christendom with delimited frontiers beyond which lies mission
territory.
The new frontiers
exist everywhere, and we are sent to the frontiers with the very concrete
mission of opening up passes and of ‘building bridges' between those who live
on one side of the frontier and those who live on the other.
Within our Latin
American apostolic horizon, new forms of political action have arisen; in
challenging the older forms they have created a situation of stress, tension
and polarization. Furthermore, the continued degradation of the environment and
the contamination of water, land, and air are now having verifiably serious
effects on the health of the population, especially the poorest sectors.
Deforestation of extensive wooded areas of Latin America,
especially in the Amazon basin, has already become a problem with planetary
impact.
In Bolivia the
indigenous peoples have been gaining increasing electoral power, and they are
desirous of establishing new rules of coexistence, which are strongly opposed
by other groups seeking to establish their own rules. Our apostolic team sees
clearly that we can no longer work only for the indigenous population, on the
weaker bank of the bridge. We must also reach out to the other bank, the
stronghold of those who have held power until now, so as to call both sides to
reconciliation. We must build bridges of dialogue that allow for the creation
of a new form of respectful, just, harmonious and constructive coexistence.
Furthermore, we have for some time now
been working on creating models of sustainable rural development that
preserve the environment and offer the indigenous population the
opportunity to lead a dignified life
without having to leave the countryside.
Once again, the
GC interprets our apostolic concerns and guides us with lucidity along the
paths that the Spirit indicates for our mission.
My conclusion is
that GC35 has reflected on our mission with humility, sincerity and
farsightedness. It has accepted in a spirit of renewal the Pope's orientations
and has let itself be guided by the Spirit. As a result it has given us a way
of understanding at this historical moment the mission that was framed in the
16th century in the Formula of the Institute.
The original
document can be found here.