Social Justice
As servants of Christ’s Mission, the Jesuit Conference Secretariat for Social and International Ministries (SIM) supports members of the Society of Jesus and the Ignatian family in their social justice concerns, empowering them to act upon those concerns by coordination and education.
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The secretariat advocates on behalf of the voiceless on matters of social concern before government and corporate institutions. It also represents the U.S. Assistancy internationally. SIM seeks to fulfill its mission for the Jesuit Provincials of the United States in collaboration with the 28 Jesuit Colleges and Universities, more than 60 high schools and middle schools, 80 parishes and 28 retreat houses, in addition to individual social ministry efforts.
NEW: Jesuit Conference and JRS/USA Letter to Customs and Border Patrol on Human Rights –This effort is spurred by the slaying of a 16-year-old Mexican teenager Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez on October 10, 2012 by U.S. Border Patrol agent(s) who apparently fired through the fence into Nogales, Mexico in response to “rock-throwing.” The letter, drafterd by the Jesuit Conference and JRS/USA with extensive input from the KINO Border Initiative, is an effort to encourage greater transparency and dialogue on the part of CBP and DHS in light of a to a pattern of deadly confrontations that have resulted in the deaths of at least 15 Mexican civilians along the border since 2010 (including two minors).
NEW: Jesuit Conference Statement on Taxes and the Fiscal Cliff — The U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration are working to agree to a deal that would avert the so-called fiscal cliff, the convergence of an estimated $1.2 trillion in tax increases and spending cuts over the course of the next decade that threaten to trigger another recession. As policymakers weigh their respective positions, the Jesuit Conference of the United States asks all those involved in this critical debate to remember the many Americans standing at the edge of this cliff.
A Response to the U.S. Census Bureau Report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage –On September 12, 2012, the Census Bureau released its report on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage for the calendar year 2011. This new data reveals the percentage of Americans living under the poverty line, defined by the Census Bureau as household income under $23,000 for a family of four, has remained at 15% for the last two years, the highest in two decades.