Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation is not an activity added on to Spiritan mission — it belongs to the heart of Spiritan evangelisation itself.
A Constitutive Part of Our Mission
The Spiritan Rule of Life states that the “integral liberation” of people, action for justice and peace, and participation in development are constitutive parts of the Spiritan mission of evangelisation, calling Spiritans to be “the advocates, the supporters and the defenders of the weak and the little ones against all who oppress them” (cf. SRL 14). To contribute effectively to justice, Spiritan communities are asked to analyse situations and to lay bare the relationship of individual cases to structural causes, and to pay attention to prophetic voices that point toward new apostolic initiatives (cf. SRL 14.1–14.2).
Lived in Community and Solidarity
This commitment shapes daily community life as much as any formal programme. Spiritan communities are called to take an interest in the traditions of the people among whom they live and “to promote justice and peace in social, economic, political and religious life” (cf. SRL 30.1), and, whatever their particular work as priests or Brothers, “to bear witness to a kingdom of justice and peace” through genuine charity, hospitality and freedom from prejudice (cf. SRL 24).
A Priority for SCCAI
SCCAI names advancing Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation among its core areas of work, integrating this dimension into its spiritual and pastoral priorities, and includes “the spirituality of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation” among the priorities of its own formation programmes. Successive General Chapters of the Congregation — most recently Bagamoyo II, held in 2021 — continue to renew how the Spiritan Rule of Life is lived out today, keeping this commitment to justice, peace and creation a living priority for Spiritan communities across Africa and the Islands.