“The Society of Jesus has long been present where humanity’s needs meet God’s saving love.” Pope Leo XIV affirmed this during his audience on 24 October with global Jesuit leaders gathered in Rome for a 10-day meeting.
“Today, I repeat: the Church needs you at the frontiers – whether they be geographical, cultural, intellectual, or spiritual”, the Holy Father said, encouraging Jesuits to continue their service to the Church and the world, despite rapid cultural, economic, and political changes.
Father General Arturo Sosa led the group of about 100 Jesuits, including Provincials and Regional Superiors, Presidents of Conferences, General Counsellors, Secretaries, and staff translators.
Presenting the delegation to the Pope, Father Sosa reiterated the Society’s availability –as individuals and as an apostolic body –to serve the universal mission of the Church, wherever the Holy Father desires. He also recalled that in 2019, Pope Francis gave the Society orientations to guide its mission through the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs).
Father General explained that the meeting of Major Superiors held in these days has set out to “reflect on the missionary dimension of the charism of the Society of Jesus”.
From the very beginning, Jesuits have had a special relationship with the Supreme Pontiff. When St Ignatius and his companions aimed to serve in the missions, they went to Rome and offered themselves to the Pope. This relationship is further underscored by the unique fourth vow of obedience that Jesuits take to the Pope regarding mission, in addition to the usual evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
In his address to the Jesuits, Pope Leo identified some frontier areas today. He noted that the path of synodality within the Church “calls all of us to listen more deeply to the Holy Spirit and to one another”, so that our ministries and structures “may be more agile, more transparent and more responsive to the Gospel”.
Another frontier, said the Pope, lies in “reconciliation and justice”. In a world ravaged by inequalities and conflicts, he called on the Society to oppose the “globalization of powerlessness” with a culture of reconciliation, trusting that good will prevail over evil.
Pope Leo also pointed at artificial intelligence as another important frontier. He called for discernment on the use of digital platforms to evangelize and form communities in the face of technologies that carry risks of isolation, and expose people to new forms of manipulation.
“The Society’s Universal Apostolic Preferences… are certainly frontiers calling for discernment and courage”, Pope Leo XIV affirmed.
Six years ago, Pope Francis confirmed the four UAPs identified by the Society: To show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment; walking with the excluded; accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future; and caring for our common home, as privileged paths of mission for ten years (2019-2029).
“I encourage you to meet people in that restlessness: in retreat houses, universities, social media, parishes, and informal spaces where seekers gather”, Pope Leo urged, highlighting that the first Preference responds “to the deep longing of the human heart” of many who seek meaning around the world.
Concerning the second Preference, the Holy Father encouraged the Society to confront the “dictatorship of an economy that kills”, and not to give into resentment, “compassion fatigue” or fatalism, in the face of the many poor people in the world whose dignity has been violated.
He stressed the urgency of accompanying young people today, noting that the Church needs to find and speak the language of the youth through actions, presence and words. “It is important to form spaces where they can encounter Christ, discover their vocation, and work for the Kingdom”, he insisted. In this regard, he identifies the next World Youth Day in Korea (2027) as a “key moment for this mission”.
Pope Leo called for humble collaboration in response to the fourth Preference, noting that “young people demand change” in our approach to the environmental crisis. He added that “ecological conversion is deeply spiritual; it is about renewing our relationship with God, with one another, and with creation”.
The Holy Father also reminded Jesuits of the need to remain rooted in Christ through prayer, the sacraments, and devotion to the Sacred Heart. “From this rootedness,” he noted, “you will have the courage to walk anywhere: to speak truth, to reconcile, to heal, to labour for justice, to set captives free. No frontier will be beyond your reach if you walk with Christ.”
“My hope for the Society of Jesus is that you may read the signs of the times with spiritual depth; that you embrace what promotes human dignity and reject what diminishes it”; the Pope said, expressing his desire that the Society be “agile, creative, discerning, and always in mission”.
Following the audience with the Pope, the rest of the eighth day of the Meeting of Major Superiors was dedicated to “Re-imagining the structures of governance”. Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan, Provincial of Indonesia, and Fr Claudio Paul from the General Curia gave a presentation that provided the Major Superiors material for group discussions and a plenary session.
Editorial – November 2025 | Download the November 2025 JHIA Newsletter (PDF)
