World IN BRIEF : VATICAN CITY : Jesuits Vow Stronger Social Justice Fight

The Jesuits, the largest and most influential order of Roman Catholic priests, pledged to strengthen their commitment to social justice, reaching out to women and other lay Catholics. A series of documents climaxing a three-month international congress outlined activist Jesuit missions in a gamut of social and educational areas, but was careful not to place the 23,000-member order at odds with Vatican dogma. “A congress that can outline the ‘reactivization’ of our mission with such realism demonstrates that the Society of Jesus is healthy,” Jesuit Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach said.