Reflections on the JCAP Reconciliation with Creation (RwC) Commission Meeting at KPTT Salatiga

“I am not afraid of the new world. What I fear is that we Jesuits might have nothing to offer to the world—unable to speak or act in a way showing our existence as Jesuits.” These words of Pedro Arrupe, cited in the Apostolic Plan of the Indonesian Province (2023–2029), resonated deeply within me as I pondered the ecological crises of our time.

The transition from July to August served as a jarring wake-up call, forcing me to confront a harsh reality: the critical issue of ecology is increasingly being sidelined. Two pivotal events underscored this collective neglect. The Indonesian Provincial Forum (late July) bluntly exposed the fragility and inconsistency of our current environmental focus, and the JCAP Reconciliation with Creation (RwC) Commission Meeting (early August), held at KPTT Salatiga (agricultural training), confirmed that our ecological complacency is not just local, but global. Reports from across the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific region echoed the same troubling trends.

These sobering realizations brought me right back to Arrupe’s piercing challenge. If we remain passive in the face of environmental destruction, we must ask ourselves: As Jesuits, do we truly have nothing to offer this wounding world? Are we genuinely unable to speak or act for the sake of creation? If so, how do we demonstrate our very identity as Jesuits?

Ecological Plans from Siem Reap

Over the past six years, the JCAP Reconciliation with Creation Commission has striven to answer the question posed: what can the commission say and do to address ecological issues across the provinces and the JCAP Region? At last year’s Siem Reap meeting, the Commission formulated four key interventions.

• Implementing initiative projects that encompass tangible activities such as “One Community One Forest” and “Creator of Hope.” These greening initiatives have been carried out in Cambodia and Indonesia through mangrove planting on critical coastal lands. At the same time, “Creator of Hope” is a program that identifies and supports young people deeply concerned about the environment.
• Capacity-building initiatives featured ‘Finding God in Farming’ and Laudato Si’ programs for Jesuits, staff, and apostolate members. Among these, KPTT successfully implemented the ‘Finding God in Farming’ initiative, delivering ecological training through agriculture and livestock courses in Cambodia and Timor-Leste. This fieldwork caught the attention of RwC delegates, who then visited the site to observe and learn from these practices firsthand.
• Strategic Partnerships: despite their diversity and geographic spread, JCAP communities share a common mission of serving vulnerable populations, including Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, and displaced communities. Many initiatives, however, currently overlap. By fostering intentional collaboration and partnerships, we can avoid duplication, pool resources, and amplify our collective impact.
• Advocacy: activities that seek to bring about change in the practices of our Jesuit communities and institutions—especially those not explicitly related to ecology—to foster a deeper commitment to living the values of Laudato Si’. These efforts can be undertaken at the community, institutional, provincial, or conference level. We can also learn from how other Jesuit communities around the world develop and implement ecologically conscious practices.

Mangrove Planting in Tambak Lorok Village, Semarang

On the final day of the RwC meeting at KPTT, delegates turned plans into action. Implementing the intervention strategy originally conceived in Siem Reap, participants planted 250 mangrove trees in Tambak Lorok Village, Semarang. This collaborative effort united multiple stakeholders, including the RwC Commission, JRS Indonesia, LPUBTN-KAS (Semarang Archdiocese Societal Services), and the local Tambak Lorok community.

Alongside local residents, the delegation joined efforts to protect a coastline long battered by the relentless waves of Semarang’s North Coast. Though modest in scale, this initiative holds great promise, laying the foundation for future ecological restoration.

As the RwC meeting concluded, delegates reflected on the universal nature of environmental crises. Even highly developed nations like Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Australia—often perceived as environmentally secure—grapple with severe ecological risks, such as Japan’s complex challenges with nuclear waste. Ecological issues cross all borders and challenge us all.

In response, we are called to deepen our shared commitment to care for our common home and address neglected areas through both word and action. This mission is closely aligned with the vision of Laudato Si’, the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs), and the apostolic plans of the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus. Let us be green and sustainable!