A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

You’ve traveled a lot and have a broad vision of the world. In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges in the world of today?

"Trying to respond to the question as to why so few Japanese became Christian, a Japanese bishop used to say: “Jesus said: I am the way the Truth and the Life. Most Asiatic religions are religions or spiritualities of the Way: Shintoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Kendo, Aikido, etc., but the majority of western missionaries have come to preach and speak of the Truth.” In that sense, there hasn’t been a true encounter with Japan.

The more I travel around the world, the more I think that bishop was right: Asia is the Way; Europe and the United States are preoccupied with the Truth; Africa and Latin America are Life – they keep alive values (friendship, family, children, etc.) which we’ve forgotten in other parts of the world. It’s significant for us Jesuits that – if I understand rightly – St. Ignatius was more interested in the Way, that is, in how to grow and be transformed into Christ, than in other things. The challenge for us Christians is that we stand in need of everything, of all the sensibilities of all the continents, to come to the fullness of Christ – which is also the fullness of our humanity. This vision is present behind all the appeals of Pope Francis in favor of migrants and refugees."