In the most recent edition of “Palabra de CPAL” (Word from CPAL), the new President of the Conference, Fr. Rafael Garrido, S.J., shared an important update about the work of the Society of Jesus in the Amazon region. Magis Americas, which is committed to promoting reconciliation and ecological justice, is particularly invested in places such as the Amazon rainforest. An important element of this work is our relationship with the Jesuit Pan-Amazon Service (Servicio Jesuita Panamazónico, SJPM, in Spanish), and we remain attentive to the needs of our Jesuit partners in the region as they continue to discern the next steps of this network.

In his statement, Fr. Garrido, S.J. explains that five Provincials and two Superiors of Jesuit communities in the region recently sent a letter to the Jesuit community present in Latin America and the Caribbean and he takes time to highlight a few key points from this letter.  We encourage you to read his whole statement here but also wanted to highlight one part that is particularly important to our work:

“An important aspect is the way in which these reflections and works are being carried out as an apostolic body, in collaboration and looking at the opportunities we have thanks to the possibilities of allying ourselves and working in a network. The participation of the apostolic body in the Amazon, the provincial governments, and regional superiors, the ‘look and feel’ with the church and society, continue to push us towards a recognition of our weaknesses and a necessary coordination with all those who add capacities and resources to this mission of the Church.”

Magis Americas remains committed to participating in this shared mission and supporting the dialogues, reflections, and work being carried out by so many inspiring organizations in the Pan-Amazonian region. We remain attentive to the needs of our sisters and brothers, and we look forward to supporting SJPAM and CPAL more broadly as they continue to respond to this great challenge.