"Reconciliation is possible when there is life. Life produces reconciliation, which in turn makes life full. Reconciliation is a way of returning to life and making it grow towards fullness. A full life entails a kind of love capable of giving one's life so that all may have life. The growing commitment of the Society of Jesus within the university’s endeavour takes on its meaning through the desire to effectively contribute to enabling a dignified full life for each and every human being, both in the present and in the future."
- Fr General Arturo Sosa, July 10 of 2019
These inspiring words were pronounced by Fr. General Arturo Sosa SJ on July 10, 2018, at the founding meeting of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) that took place in Bilbao and Loyola. They became an invitation for the association to deepen its understanding of the profound meaning of the mission of reconciliation and what role the university can and should play in carrying it out.
With this objective in mind, the Comillas Pontifical University in Spain and the Javeriana Pontifical University in Colombia have undertaken the task of organising an International Conference on Ignatian Reconciliation, which will take place between the 8th and 10th of July 2020.
The conference will feature theoretical insights and also present the results of projects and programs that are studied or sponsored by Jesuit higher education institutions with the aim of promoting reconciliation with God, with one another and with Creation.
Thus, the main goal of the Conference is the identification and presentation of solid reconciliation experiences lived by professors and researchers from Jesuit universities. We have no doubt that that the Society of Jesus’ understanding of the call to work for reconciliation at all levels —establishing just relations between human beings and God, between one another and with Creation— will be greatly enriched by the exploration of this topic and experiences of those working directly in the field of peace and reconciliation.
All Jesuit universities are invited to draw from their own regional, national or local experiences of reconciliation. Currently, the Scientific Committee of the conference is working on the revision of the papers received, which are numerous and very varied.
Registration will soon be open to anyone interested in the subject.
For more information, we encourage you to access the event's website where you will find precise instructions on how to proceed with registration, as well as how to contact the organizers to resolve any doubts or considerations.