Father Hans Zollner SJ, director of the Institute of Anthropology, recently returned to Rome from his 10-day trip to Japan. Throughout the program, Father Zollner attended various meetings, workshops, and conferences on safeguarding, spirituality, and leadership. Zollner notes that the Catholic Church is a minority in Japan, with Catholics making up only 0.3 percent of the population. Because of this, a central focus of their discussions was how Catholic institutions “can not only live out the gospel but also make safeguarding part of the mission of the Church.
”A highlight of Zollner’s trip was meeting with safeguarding delegates from roughly 10 countries, organized by the safeguarding delegates of the Jesuit provinces of East Asia and the Pacific. Zollner extends special thanks to Mr. Simon Davies from Australia and Yosuke Sakai SJ from Japan for organizing and facilitating such rich, fruitful conversations.
“The meeting with these very committed people is, for me, one of the highlights of the year,”
Zollner said.
General topics of discussion included the integration of safeguarding as part of the Church’s mission, the responsibility of the Church leaders and collaborators, and spiritual aspects of Safeguarding. Zollner notes that in Japan, sexual scandals do not receive much public attention, making it especially meaningful to explore strategies for increasing accountability and raising awareness of safeguarding across religions and provinces. Father Zollner extends his gratitude to the Japanese Jesuits for their hospitality and expresses his hope for continued collaboration, both through ongoing partnerships in Japan and the Institute’s programs in Rome.
“I’m grateful that I’m back, and I’m looking forward to continuing our collaboration with a
number of people who expressed interest in our e-learning program as well as our formation here
in Rome in Safeguarding.”