The Pope chose Turkey as the destination for his first apostolic journey outside Italy because, like each of his predecessors since the restoration of relations with the Orthodox 60 years ago under Paul VI, he wished to visit the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the beginning of his pontificate, on the feast of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of this Church, to consolidate the bonds that unite us. During his brief stay, he also met with the Armenian and Syriac communities, which make up the majority of local Christians, as well as representatives of other Christian denominations immediately after a spiritual visit to the Blue Mosque in the company of local Muslim authorities. The ecumenical dimension of this trip was reinforced this time by the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the foundations of the profession of faith common to all Christians were laid, at the very site of the council. Representatives of many Churches gathered there. While some were missing, it is to be hoped that in 2033, all will be able to be present in Jerusalem where, as the Pope told journalists on the plane taking him to Lebanon for the second stage of his apostolic journey, he would like to be able to celebrate two millennia since the Redemption, an event that reduces the petty aspects of ecclesiastical politics that divide us, to nothing. The Pope also met with the local Catholic Church in all its diversity: bishops and pastoral workers, some refugees and elderly people, and above all the Catholic communities of the country (and representatives of other denominations) during a Eucharistic celebration that brought together 4,000 people in a stadium in Istanbul. This was the first time such a celebration had taken place in such a venue: it allowed the local Church to celebrate ‘in full view of one another’ for the first time, without being constrained by the limited space of a place of worship. For this community, this Mass seemed like a prelude to the gathering on the Mountain of the Lord mentioned in the first reading. All this was made possible by the active participation (logistical and financial) of the Turkish authorities, whom the Pope met in Ankara at the beginning of his stay. Currently, relations between the Vatican and Turkey are relatively good, thanks in part to their collaboration in the search for peace in the region. The logo of the papal trip to Turkey represented a bridge, like the one over the Dardanelles Strait: it was this vocation that the sovereign ‘Pontiff’ (“pontifex”, literally ‘bridge builder’) wanted to live out during his stay and to which he called Turkey during his official speech to the authorities: to be a bridge ‘with itself’, between the different elements of its own diversity, and externally, in a region shaken by conflict. Fr. Jean-Marc Balhan, SJ

Last December 13th, Cristóbal Fones SJ, a Chilean Jesuit, currently the Director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network and a renowned musician, held a prayer-concert at St. Antoine Parish in Brussels. Cristóbal was visiting the JCEP (Jesuit Conference of European Provincials) during those days. Taking advantage of his presence, Alberto Ares SJ, who currently collaborates with the parish, suggested hosting the concert in the church. The audience consisted largely of members of the parish's Spanish-speaking community, but also included many Chileans living in Brussels and other city residents who know and appreciate Cristóbal’s music. Several Jesuits from the St. Benoît community also attended the event. The event featured some of his most well-known songs, performed in a prayerful setting in the context of Advent and the approaching Christmas season. Cristóbal Fones’ natural joy and charisma helped the audience immerse themselves in the experience and join him in singing most of his repertoire. It was a beautiful moment of prayer and spirituality for everyone present. After the concert, Cristóbal Fones shared a more informal moment with the parish community to learn about them and to share the activities and projects of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

From December 4th to December 6th, the JCEP Consult had one of its meetings in the Jesuit community of Ankara, Türkiye. The JCEP Socius and the three Assistancies moderators had arrived earlier, on December 2nd, in Istanbul. There, they had the opportunity to visit the city and the main Catholic Church presences, guided by Jean-Marc Balhan SJ, the community superior. The JCEP President, Dalibor Renić, traveled directly to the Consult in Ankara and stayed with the community for a few extra days to conduct the canonical visitation. The Consult agenda included time dedicated to planning the next steps in the apostolic planning process (Francisco José Ruiz joined this section via videoconference), an evaluation of the last JCEP General Assembly in Rome and the questions raised there, and updates on the drafting of the new Guidelines for Formation and Guidelines for Formation in the Digital Age. The group also reflected on possibly drafting updated guidelines for the Conference's Eurogroups, and discussed the later developments of the Youth Adult Ministry group. A significant part of the meeting involved a dialogue about the future horizon of the Jesuit presence in Ankara and a conversation about the content and timing of the upcoming General Assemblies and Consults. Beyond the working aspects of the visit, the days in Ankara allowed all consultors to discover Türkiye, a vast country marked by strong social, economic, and cultural dynamism that must be considered in any reflection on the mission in Europe. It was also an occasion to witness the beautiful mission of the small Jesuit community in Ankara—a mission that includes practicing interreligious dialogue with Islam, tending to the growing nascent Church in the country, and collaborating with other religious orders and the nascent local Church. In the final reflections upon concluding the JCEP Consult, all consultors expressed their deep consolation for having been able to directly witness such a missionary reality located on a true frontier. The common feeling among all participants was that here in Ankara, one truly feels like a Jesuit. Our prayers remain with the Jesuits of the Ankara community—Jean-Marc Balhan, Alexis Doucet, Michael Mcguckian, and Changmo Cho (currently in Tertianship in Bikfaya)—with the desire that these lines help everyone to acknowledge the terrific work they are doing.

The Province of Spain has launched “Moción. Mira más allá”, the first Jesuit-developed video game that blends entertainment with Ignatian depth. Conceived for young people discerning their path in life, the game invites players to reflect on a central question: “And you—how do you make the decisions that shape your life?” Mixing Ignatian spirituality with science fiction and cosmic physics, Moción aims to offer young people a digital experience that unites creativity, discernment, and faith. With the release of its new website, mocionplay.app, the project reaches a major milestone in a development process that has taken several years. A New Ignatian Adventure Game for Young People Moción. Mira más allá is an RPG-style mobile adventure in which players follow Samuel, a university student who discovers a mysterious pair of glasses in his grandfather’s trunk. Through them, he begins to see impossible realities—an opening to a journey of questions, choices, and deeper meaning. The game invites players to explore their own discernment as Samuel navigates his. Developed by Serjesuita (the Province’s Vocations Office), the game is the fruit of a three-year intersectoral and interinstitutional collaboration. More than 230 students from nearly twenty vocational and university centres—part of EDUCSI, UNIJES, and institutions beyond the Society—contributed to its development. Their work spans 3D design, programming, voice recording, music composition, and creative direction. The team aims to publish the game by the end of the 2025–26 academic year on platforms such as Google Play (Android) and the App Store (Apple). The new website already offers a first trailer, project information, and links to Instagram and TikTok, where followers can track the development journey. A mailing list is also available for updates on the official release.

From 29–31 October, the Faculty of Theology at the University of Innsbruck warmly hosted the workshop of the Kircher Network – HEST Cluster on Christian-Muslim Dialogue. Under the theme "Comparative Methods in Studying Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations: Perspectives from Theology, Sociology, Philosophy and Beyond", the network's professors discussed papers exploring key issues in comparative theology. A highlight of the meeting was the presentation by the Bishop of Innsbruck, Monsignor Hermann Glettler, and Imam Abulwafa Mohammed of their recently published book, Nicht den Hass, die Liebe wählen (Herder), a moving testament to years of dialogue and friendship that encourages "rejecting hatred and choosing love."   The workshop brought together fourteen professors from the following institutions: Universität Innsbruck; Sankt Georgen – Frankfurt; Universidad Loyola Andalucía (Granada); Université Saint-Joseph (Beirut); Ignatianum University in Krakow; Collegium Bobolanum – Warsaw; Universität Wien; Universität Osnabrück; Chapel for Europe (Brussels); and the Jesuit community of Ankara.   The HEST Cluster on Christian and Muslim Dialogue Cluster is coordinated by Jaime Flaquer, SJ. (Universidad Loyola Andalucía), together with Jesuit Tobias Specker, SJ. (Sankt Georgen) and Dr Michaela Neulinger (Universität Innsbruck). The Christian and Muslim Dialogue Cluster of the network is coordinated by Jesuit Jaime Flaquer (from Universidad Loyola), together with fellow Jesuit Tobias Specker (Sankt Georgen) and Professor Michaela Quast-Neulinger (Universität Innsbruck), who excellently organized the event. Special thanks go to the Faculty of Theology at Innsbruck for their generous hospitality.

On 18 November 2025, Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (JECSE) and the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) hosted an online webinar titled “Advancing Sustainability in Jesuit Schools: The Experience of a Three-School Pilot Project”. The event brought together members of the Jesuit Global Network of Schools (JGNS) and other religious education networks to explore the experiences of three Jesuit schools located in Malta and France which have participated in the pilot phase of the JESC Carbon Initiative (JCI), a project by JESC aimed at supporting faith organisations in their ecological transition. Learning from Practice: how schools assess their experience with JCI During the webinar, representatives from St Aloysius Primary School (Malta), Lycée Sainte-Geneviève in Versailles (France), and Ensemble Scolaire Fénelon-La Trinité in Lyon (France) shared their experiences of carrying out the JCI environmental assessment. Across the three cases, several key learnings emerged. Schools emphasised the importance of adapting the assessment process to their specific context and, while data collection was often demanding, this challenge also became an essential moment of capacity-building, prompting internal cooperation, clarification of roles, and increased awareness among staff about the environmental impact of daily operations. Another central insight concerned the value of community engagement. All schools noted that involving teachers, staff, students, and families was crucial not only for gathering data but also for fostering a shared sense of ownership over efforts to make the school more sustainable. In Malta, even young pupils contributed to shaping the action plan; in France, the assessment became a catalyst for training days, assemblies, and presentations aimed at building a common understanding of the school’s environmental footprint. The findings themselves proved transformative, offering each school a clear picture of its environmental impacts and the key areas requiring early attention to begin shaping an effective ecological transition. Insights from the project helped schools identify their priorities for change and translate them into concrete actions. At St Aloysius Primary School, the results informed a new strategic plan designed to implement the recommendations emerging from the assessment. At Sainte-Geneviève, the footprint analysis supported the development of a transition roadmap and quickly became a key tool for raising ecological awareness among newly arrived students.In sum, the JCI assessment became far more than a diagnostic exercise: it served as a catalyst for genuine institutional transformation, strengthening community participation and embedding sustainability more deeply across the life of the school. The pilot experience thus confirmed the value of a structured, measurable, and community-based approach to sustainability in schools. Participating schools reported strengthened governance structures, improved systems for monitoring key environmental indicators, and the explicit integration of ecological objectives into staff development, student initiatives, and parental engagement. From Vision to Action: integrating frameworks for ecological transition The second half of the webinar featured a presentation from the EOF province, which introduced the AILE (Loyola Education) pathway, a comprehensive framework designed to accompany Jesuit schools in France on their ecological transition journey. Centred on three interconnected pillars - student education, adult formation and change management, and the practical transformation of school operations - the AILE pathway ensures that ecological commitment is woven into every dimension of school life. Rooted in the spirit of Laudato Si’ and fully aligned with Ignatian pedagogy, it integrates spiritual, cognitive, emotional, and social competencies to help students grasp the ecological crisis and develop the capacity to respond meaningfully. The presentation also underscored the importance of adult leadership, strong governance, and coordinated strategies, offering concrete tools such as training modules, steering committee models, and action-planning guides. Through this contribution, the EOF Province illustrated how a holistic, mission-driven approach can help schools move from intention to sustained, systemic ecological change. For attendees, the webinar offered a valuable illustration of how the EOF Province’s AILE pathway and the JCI assessment work together to support schools in their ecological transition. The AILE framework provided a broader horizon: a mission-driven, holistic approach showing how ecological commitment can be embedded into formation, leadership, and school governance. Complementing this, the JCI assessment was presented as a concrete tool capable of operationalising vision-providing schools with a clear environmental baseline, a structured methodology for designing change, and an inclusive process that brings the entire community together.  In all, the webinar showcased how Jesuit education is mobilising around the integration of ecology and sustainability at both the network and school levels. Participants saw how a strong, mission-aligned framework such as the EOF Province’s AILE pathway can orient schools toward a holistic ecological vision, while assessment-based tools like JCI provide the practical means to move from fragmented initiatives to coherent, science-based sustainability strategies. These tools help transform schools into spaces of environmental management and shared learning, an experience that is profoundly educational in itself. Together, these approaches highlighted the potential of Jesuit educational institutions to serve as living laboratories of ecological transition, forming young people and adults who are equipped to respond to today’s environmental crisis with competence, hope, and a renewed sense of responsibility. In doing so, they embody the Jesuit mission to promote reconciliation with creation and reflect the deepest aims of Ignatian education: to form persons of discernment, committed to the common good, and capable of shaping a more just and sustainable world. * To learn more about the JESC Carbon Initiative (JCI) please click here to download the project brochure. Telmo Olascoaga Michel JESC Ecology Officer