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Task Force Presentation 2022

Overview

The Church under Pope Francis has taken a leadership role in promoting economic and environmental justice. “Laudato Si” has captured the respect of the world’s leaders and the enthusiastic support of those interested in addressing our growing economic inequality within and between nations. By linking the environmental crisis to its roots in economic forces, and calling for an integral environmental humanism, the Church has pointed to necessary economic, social, political and psychological changes that are necessary if we are to survive in our “common home.” How can all of our institutions take a leadership role in addressing these two challenges (which amount to different sides of the same coin)?

As the ecological and social crisis intensifies, Jesuit institutions are being asked to support Pope Francis’ call to action by joining the ‘7-Year Journey Toward an Integral Ecology.’

Projects

7-Year Journey Toward Integral Ecology

In 2020, Pope Francis announced the creation of the Laudato Sí Action Platform
website (laudatosiactionplatform.org) and its action counterpart, the 7-Year Journey
Toward Integral Ecology. To bring the Society of Jesus into assistance on these
important projects, the E&EJ Task Force made immediate contact with the Vatican
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and offered aid to the
Church in its outreach efforts to universities on these initiatives. Since 2021, the
Task Force has led the Universities Working Group for the Vatican Dicastery,
coordinating efforts at enlisting both religiously and non-religiously affiliated
universities to Pope Francis’ 7-Year Journey Toward Integral Ecology.

University Pathways – Laudato Si

As an aid for universities considering and implementing Pope Francis’ 7-Year Journey Toward Integral Ecology, the E&EJ Task Force coordinated a group of more than 40 scholars from around the world to create the University Pathways website, Laudato Si’ University Working Group (laudatosiuniversities.com). This is a constantly updated website with technical and content volunteers from four Jesuit universities.

Coordinator: Michael Schuck, School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago. 

University Students Speak The E&EJ Task force has been

The E&EJ Task force has been regularly engaging students at Jesuit universities to create videos supporting university participation in the 7-Year Journey and, more specifically, emphasizing the importance of the 7 Journey goals. On June 17, 2022, a set of seven 2-minute videos from students at Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University, Sanata Dharma University, Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, and Loyola University Chicago was released to a global audience on the Laudato Sí Action Platform. See the University Pathways Laudato Si’ Action Platform on YouTube to learn more (Click Here). The Task Force continues this effort at facilitating university student voices.

Climate Change Conference

Since the Deusto Assembly in 2018, the E&EJ Task Force has supported two Loyola University Chicago Climate Change Conferences (CCC). The topic of the 2021 CCC was Accompanying Youth to a Hope-Filled Future. The 2022 CCC topic was The Intersection of Climate Change, Human Health, and Justice. Future E&EJ Task Force-supported conferences are being planned in collaboration with other Jesuit Universities.

EcoJesuit

The E&EJ Task Force works in supportive collaboration with EcoJesuit. Since the Deusto Assembly, EcoJesuit has contributed to the third priority of the IAJU Strategic Plan as a way of moving toward an integral ecology.

Healing Earth: Teach the Teachers Workshops

A new E&EJ Task Force project is a collaboration with AUSJAL to train facilitators
for teacher use of the IAJU-supported online integral ecology textbook, Healing
Earth (healingearth.ijep.net). Planning is currently underway for a workshop
webinar in October 2022.

Links of interest 

Position Paper 2018