The Jesuit Response
The Jesuit Conference joins the Society of Jesus across the globe in doing, as General Congregation 34 states, “whatever it can to change international attitudes and behavior towards Africa.”
In support of the priorities of the Jesuits of Africa, the Jesuit Conference advocates before US companies and government bodies to ensure a just and authentic development of the continent. In cooperation with Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Europe, the Jesuit Conference engages in dialogue with key US and European-based extractive companies in order to ensure that their work respects the rights and supports the development of the Congolese people. And Jesuit Refugee Service continues to accompany, educate, and protect refugees and internally displaced people across the continent.
To support People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), the Jesuit Conference joined faith-based groups across the US in successfully calling for a reauthorization and augmentation of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2008. The Jesuit Conference also supports robust funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which supports HIV/AIDS programs in countries around the world. Jesuits worldwide accompany Jesuits in Africa working to combat aids and to support AIDS orphans. As Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach exhorted the Society of Jesus, “let us open our hearts and our eyes and let Africa emerge from its darkness into the light of compassion and human solidarity.”