Ignatian Advocacy and Spirituality

Introduction

In November 2008, almost 100 Jesuits and collaborators working in the Social Apostolate of the Society of Jesus, coming from all over the world, gathered in El Escorial (Spain), to discuss the topic "Ignatian Advocacy". The workshop started with sharing based upon four different experiences of international advocacy, followed by reflection on the overview document "A model of Ignatian Advocacy", which helped the group to focus on the special characteristics of Jesuit works when doing advocacy. We then analysed some technicalities of advocacy, and also considered which type of international organisation is better prepared for successful international advocacy.

Moving to the conclusions of the workshop, we agreed on eight thematic priorities for future international advocacy efforts among the works of the international body of the Society of Jesus. We saw that two topics were useful enough for our daily work to prompt us to write a document on each. These documents would concern:

v Our vision of the alternative model of development that gives sense to the thematic priorities selected.

v Our conclusions on the interrelation between advocacy and the Ignatian 'way of proceeding', which is in turn rooted in Ignatian spirituality.

This present paper[1] concerns the second of these topics. It starts with a brief definition of advocacy and its methodologies, continues with a reflection on the spirituality that arises from the experience of Saint Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises, and ends with a proposal on the features that characterise the profile of a Jesuit work doing advocacy. We hope that this last chapter will offer Jesuit works guidelines for both, developing a truly Ignatian advocacy, and evaluating their current practice.

Our thanks to SJS, ALBOAN, Entreculturas, OCIPE, and the Centre for Liberation Theologies for calling and preparing the workshop; to Entreculturas and the Provinces of Spain for organising and hosting it; and to Julie, Mauricio, Daniel, Frank, Nacho, Tim and Ghislain for their efforts to make this document a reality.

Defining Advocacy

It is no easy task defining advocacy, given the different emphases that people and organisations adopt in using and interpreting the term; even the word 'lobbying', so widely used and commonly understood, poses difficulties. Generally speaking, 'lobbying' is considered as one part of 'advocacy', as a tool for advocacy actions. The chart that appears later in this paper attempts to clarify the different aspects of advocacy and the relationships among them:

The text that follows will be developed in three parts. First, there is an attempt to arrive at a definition of advocacy. Second, we offer remarks on the modes of doing advocacy, particularly in terms of methodology and strategies. Finally, the text will present a model of strategy development.

A definition of Advocacy

Advocacy is a general term for activism related to a particular set of issues. There are many different forms of advocacy, ranging from street demonstrations to lobbying governments, and advocates may focus their attention on any of a huge range of issues. We take one definition from the many made available by authors in the field, a definition that specifies some crucial aspects of advocacy work in an Ignatian perspective:

"Citizen centered advocacy is an organized political process that involves the coordinated efforts of people to change policies, practices, ideas and values that perpetuate inequality, prejudice and exclusion. It strengthens citizens' capacity as decision makers and builds more accountable and equitable institutions of power" (VeneKlasen, 2002: 22).

This perspective of advocacy implies:

• Engaging institutions of governance to empower the marginalised;
• Creating and using spaces available within the system;
• Using knowledge strategically, and using skills and opportunities to influence public policy;
• Bridging the gap between micro-level activities and macro-level policy initiatives;
• Adopting non-violent and constitutional means.

Challenges to advocacy from the political dynamic

Time and again history has shown that real change only happens when mass mobilisation and other forms of outside pressure are exerted on the institutions that need to change. But mobilisation alone is not enough. With issues moving forward and alternative solutions being considered, many choices have to be made, and active grassroots groups (advocates) need to be involved both in policy analysis and in influencing decision-makers. It is certain that experts (people from universities and think tanks) and public leaders will be involved. However, they are often far removed from ordinary people's reality and have quite different interests.

To engage with decision-making systems and create pressing policy proposals and demands that makers cannot be ignored, advocates need to pose critical questions:

• Will the solution reached reflect people's needs?
• Whose voices will be heard?
• Whose interests will be served or neglected?

They must be able to analyse, critique, and formulate policies; to understand the political realities; to identify the "art of the possible"; and stretch that to include the voices that are so often ignored.

Challenges to advocacy from our experience in Jesuit institutions and in the Ignatian family

In the course of our meeting at El Escorial (Spain) in November 2008, a group of Jesuits and lay collaborators identified certain common elements that are important components of our advocacy work:

• It aims at interaction (dialogue and/or confrontation) with decision-makers.
• It is contextualised in concrete situations that call for an analysis of power.
• It is part of a struggle for just relationships, societal structural change, improving the situation of the poor.
• It allows and empowers the creative voices of the poor and the organisations of the poor.
• It is embedded in an advocacy community, which articulates different levels of interactions and networking, both nationally and internationally.

What concrete changes are needed for us to achieve the general objective?

This question directs us to the elements of social and political life that need to be transformed if we want to achieve our objective of change:

Laws

Policies

Practices

Ideas and attitudes

Power relations.

An advocacy campaign therefore needs to address these five main areas. For example, a change in the law is crucial in changing conditions for social groups because legal changes are a visible and definable aspect of political power. There are two main ways that laws can discriminate against certain interests and people:

• Biased laws and policies may seem neutral but serve one group at the expense of others.
• The structures that generate public or governmental policies may be closed, corrupt or unrepresentative, therefore not adequately representative of the voices or interests of the people they are intended to serve.

Each of the other four areas noted could be similarly explained and expanded. In any case, it is not enough to change a law or redirect a specific policy. A real social transformation demands also the transformation of practices, ideas, attitudes and power relations which hitherto blocked the change sought by the advocacy. Sometimes one of these elements (practices, power relations) can prevent the whole process of transformation. In other cases, one of these elements (law, idea) can enable the changes.

At which geographical levels must this change occur?

Advocacy can function at different levels and will often combine several levels.

• Macro (global) level: Arenas or areas of work in which very general topics or problems are treated, usually at the global level.
• Meso (regional) level: Stages of decision-making, strategies and resources in which the issues are treated by region (i.e. Latin America, Europe, South East Asia).
• National level: Actions being taken by countries, or at country level, to address problems, either by means of cooperation and integration among countries, or through the development of national public policies.
• Micro level: The cases that involve specific local communities.

Doing Advocacy: Methodologies and Strategies

There are different modes of advocacy: public interest advocacy, policy advocacy, social justice advocacy, people-centred advocacy, participatory advocacy, and feminist advocacy. We do not describe each one of these; we merely highlight their common elements in order to clarify what is needed to achieve sustainable change. Necessary are:

• Intense and broad public support.
• Appropriate legal, political and institutional structures.
• Decision makers convinced of the need to change.

Among the strategies necessary for developing advocacy actions are the following: research, developing relationships, the definition of policies, lobbying, media work, and narratives/stories. To these basic elements others should be added when the idea is to develop a formal advocacy campaign, such as alliance building, mass communication, social mobilisation, public education, and monitoring/evaluation.

A Model of Strategy Development

Developing strategy is at the heart of effective lobbying efforts. The process will help our network to:

• assess our situation, including an analysis of our power, capacity for action and possible points of departure for creating change;
• select achievable goals to start the work;
• develop an action plan, including how to use our resources, how to build capacity, and identify actions, tactics and tools;
• record small triumphs, setbacks, compromises, unexpected opportunities, and uncertainties that paved the way to the change we seek in the long run.

This model is effective because it clearly and explicitly indicates questions advocates ask themselves instinctively. Despite the simplicity with which it is described, it is actually the result of careful and disciplined work based on research, observation and practice. To contribute to the lobbying of our own research and observations we present the following five elements:

Objectives: What do we want?

Public: Who has the power to make this possible?

Diagnosis: What is possible?

Action Plan: How do we get started?

Evaluation: How to know if our plan is working?

Each of these five key elements can be further divided through questions in order to help advocates to better understand its context.

Objectives: What do you want?

The first step is to clarify our primary objectives. When we talk about what we want, we must look within our organisation and define the elements that make ours different from others. For example, we need to make it clear who we are, what the problem is that we are dealing with, the expected impact of our actions, and what our vision for change might be. In this way we can make a preliminary identification of our goals and our approach to the task.

Public: Who has the power to make this possible?

Our work should clarify which section of the public has the power to make our actions effective. In that sense, we need to define what is at stake, how we can change the processes or realities in which we want to intervene and how to influence key audiences.

Diagnosis: What is possible?

• Existing power relations (power factor)
• What is our ability to mobilise the targeted public?
• What is our own group at the time of the action?
• What external environment faces us?

Action Plan: How do we start?

Based on the initial definition of goals and the presentation of key sections of the public, we can define our action plan. With this plan, we learn how to begin our advocacy actions. In this way, it will be easier to determine the time needed to unify the efforts of the working group, our colleagues and our audiences.

Evaluation: How do we know if our plan is working?

The final stage involves a continuous process of evaluation and monitoring to check if our work plan is working as intended, according to our objectives, the needs of our audience and the efficiency of our action plan. We need to be clear at this stage about the achievements we aim at and the time frame required.

While the steps outlined above are a full advocacy plan we need to consider recommendations made on the basis of experience. The following points are relevant:

• systematic and disciplined effort, leading to reflection and action for improvement: we should never lose sight of the research and planning to adapt our strategies to our fundamental aims and our capacities.
• formal ongoing monitoring, while retaining the flexibility to diverge from 'established criteria' where appropriate.
• diagnosis of current realities: if these do not favour our purposes, we need to be creative enough to act with transparency and within our limitations.

Ignatian Spirituality and Advocacy

Introductory considerations: an Ignatian maxim

To Saint Ignatius of Loyola is attributed this saying about the right spiritual approach to political advocacy: "Trust in God as if the success of things depended completely on you and not on God. But devote all your energy to work, as if God had to do everything and you nothing." Actually, the expression comes not from Saint Ignatius but from a Hungarian Jesuit named Gabor Hevenesi, who formulated it in 1705. When he was criticised and misinterpreted, Hevenesi himself in 1714 offered another version, perhaps more understandable: "Trust in God as if the success of things depended on God, not on you, but devote all your energy to work, as if you had to do everything, and God nothing".

Although more popular, this second version seems to imply an ascetic effort that juxtaposes nature and grace; it appears to blend together a quietism of pure trust and a certain Pelagianism that trusts in one's own strength. Hugo Rahner recovered the original maxim and interpreted it this way: "Put all your trust in God without ever forgetting co-operation (which is precisely what your trust requires), but in your activity be profoundly aware that only God is powerful. When in action, never rely on your own contribution; when trusting, always realise that you are a collaborator co-operating with God." 

We will now look at some of the aids and tools that Ignatian spirituality offers for fleshing out this attitude, and apply it concretely to the realm of advocacy.

The Method

The value and the originality of Ignatian spirituality, especially of the Spiritual Exercises, has much to do with method. The essential content is shared by all Christian tradition: the following of the Lord Jesus. The Ignatian method, however, has style, character, and a way of proceeding that is both rich and full of a practical wisdom that makes the spirituality applicable to other fields, such as political advocacy.

"Examen" and Discernment

The fifth addition (Sp. Ex. 77) refers to what should be done after a session of prayer, but is also applicable to the work of advocacy: "After finishing the exercise, I will, during the space of a quarter of an hour, seated or walking leisurely, look how it went with me in the contemplation or meditation; and if badly, I will look for the cause from which it proceeds, and having so seen it, will be sorry, in order to correct myself in the future; and if well, I will give thanks to God our Lord and will do in like manner another time". In this way a connection is made with the famous Ignatian "Examen"; it not only allows us to grasp reality in all its depth and assess our authentic response, but also provides material for discernment.

For Ignatius, the "Examen" is a way of praying in everyday life, the privileged instrument for true contemplatives in action. Far from obsessive moralising, Ignatian spirituality makes the events of our own lives and our history the subject matter for prayer. All of that enables us to apprehend the irruption of liberating grace into the routine of our existence. That is where our intentions can be purified, our mistakes recognised, our surprises perceived, our inner motions discovered. What we have here, then, is a practice that is essential for any life of active commitment to the kingdom, and most especially for the work of political advocacy on behalf of the poor. We also have in the Ignatian "Examen" the beginning of spiritual discernment.

The "Examen", can be considered the basis for spiritual discernment. It is a contribution that Ignatian spirituality can make to the process of advocacy for it helps the person or the group to seek the right intention in a decision-making process.

Pedro Ribadeneira mentions an example taken from the life of Ignatius himself after he had already had much experience of governing. The example expresses well the method, the process, and the need for right intention: "He grew in devotion with the post he held; otherwise he would not have held it, because he thought God would not have wanted it. His way of proceeding is: first, stripping oneself; second, asking assistance; third, thinking; fourth, presenting the matter to God." Take note that the Ignatian practice here described does not begin "spiritually" with prayer, but involves previous, very human actions: achieving true freedom, dialoguing with others, using all the means of reason, and finally considering the matter before God. Perhaps we can find here a clue to help us in our political advocacy work.

With regard to the Process

The dynamic of the Exercises

The Spiritual Exercises present a process of growth divided into four blocks called "weeks", which may give us some further ideas about how to develop public advocacy along Ignatian lines. The gateway to the Exercises is the so-called "Principle and Foundation", and offers reflections on the meaning and finality of human beings and the whole of creation. This Ignatian argument highlights an orientation toward the common good, the need to live in embodied freedom, and the proper use of means to our end. These are not just pious considerations, nor are they limited only to certain privileged persons; rather, they constitute the true principle and foundation for the social organisation that we desire, especially for the people who are most vulnerable, impoverished, and excluded.

The First Week of the Exercises asks us to consider the reality of evil and sin in our world, and also the presence of mercy. Before Christ crucified and before the crucified peoples of history, we are invited to question ourselves about our daily praxis: what we have done, what we are doing, what we can do. Right after that we are invited to reconciliation with ourselves and our own lives.

The Second Week is a passionate invitation to grow in closeness to the Lord Jesus, responding to his call, uniting us to the project of his Kingdom, discerning the practical measures called for, and moving to greater commitment. A key part of the Ignatian vision is the conviction that the Kingdom must reach "the entire world" (Sp. Ex., 95) and encompass "all states and conditions of person" (Sp. Ex., 145). Once again, we have a new call to public advocacy as an expression of the universal good. But not any kind of response will do; the spiritual exercises invite us, in the meditation of the three pairs of men, to respond with great generosity, putting God's will and the needs of others always before ours.

The Third Week refines the 'elections', the key choices by having the person accompany the Passion and Death of Christ and identify with the suffering and 'failed' dimension of our world. Our advocacy will remain Ignatian if it remains attached to the lives of the excluded and oppressed of the world, not in a masochistic way, but by committing ourselves to the people.

The Fourth Week puts us in tune with the profound joy and happiness of the Risen Lord, as we experience the role of consoler he gives us, and really feel the effects of the resurrection. Finally, the "Contemplation for Attaining Love" thrusts us back into our daily lives so that we give thanks for so much good received, and live our lives giving thanks in service and love. There can result (and this has relevance for our advocacy activities), an attitude that is full of hope, deeply respecting the work itself and the people it serves, but not depending on our own perceived success.

The dynamic of each exercise

As conceived by Ignatius, the process of each period of prayer also offers helpful suggestions for the style and practice of public advocacy. According to the Spanish Jesuit Darío Mollá, the process of Ignatian contemplation entails moving from "seeing" to "conversing". To that end it is first of all necessary to attend to the 'preludes' to the respective meditations: recall the narrative, composition of place, petition. That is to say, the exercitant should make him or herself present to real human history in a way that is objective, attentive, active, and self-involving. Only in that way can s/he grasp the details and the depth of reality and avoid taking a merely superficial glance.

In the points that follow, which make up the body of the contemplation, we are invited to be attentive, to attune our sensitivity, to be receptive; we are to see the persons of the story, hear what they are saying, watch what they are doing. Similarly, in the work of advocacy we must start from the concrete reality of those we wish to accompany and defend (or be "advocates" for). Then comes the time for reasoning, considering, assessing, appraising, pondering ... and all the while "reflecting in order to draw some profit" (Sp. Ex., 114). In the exercises of Ignatian contemplation we open ourselves up to the discernment of the 'movement of spirits', while in the practice of advocacy it is a question of analysing the reality and deciding on the options that are best for the cause we seek to support or endorse.

Third, it is important to realise that both prayer and advocacy culminate in a truly personal encounter of dialogue and "colloquy". It is a matter of "stopping to ponder wherever something is offered," without a predetermined guide and without foreknowledge of results; it is a true conversation, out of which emerges a new reality for the service of the common good.

With regard to the Subject

One of the basic features of Ignatian spirituality that makes it not only modern but also permanently relevant is its emphasis on the personal. It is the personal subject that experiences direct encounter with the incarnate Mystery in Jesus Christ. It is the personal subject that is pardoned, called, and sent. Our advocacy is conceived as centred in the person, the subject of dignity. We defend persons in vulnerable situations, we dialogue with persons who have some degree of decision-making power, and those of us who carry out these tasks are persons. We cannot forget this.

At the same time, we are persons grafted into a larger Body. We constitute a communitarian subject. The work of advocacy cannot be split from the tasks performed by other members of the same body. We arise from there, we return there, and there we acquire the legitimacy we need to fulfil our task of advocacy.

An Ignatian Way of Doing Advocacy

Identity and way of proceeding

An Ignatian way of doing advocacy will only be sustainable through works and/or platforms that share an Ignatian or Jesuit identity.

What does it mean for an activity or organisation to be Ignatian or Jesuit? In the context of the growing importance of collaboration for mission, General Congregation 35 reflected on precisely this question. Its decree on collaboration for mission, described as Ignatian any work that:

• Intentionally seeks God in all things;
• Practises Ignatian discernment; engages the world through a careful analysis of context, in dialogue with experience, evaluated through reflection, for the sake of action, with openness to evaluation. (GC 35 D 6 n 9)

To be identified as Jesuit work, an Ignatian work must also have a clear relationship with the Society of Jesus, and a mission which is in line with that of the Society, that is, a commitment to a faith that does justice through inter-religious dialogue and creative engagement with cultures. All Jesuit works are ultimately accountable to the General Superior through appropriate lines of authority. (GC 35 D6 n 10).

The Society of Jesus has been cultivating Ignatian ways of going about things for several centuries. The Jesuit 'way of proceeding' is often implicit in Jesuit and Ignatian works. In 1995 General Congregation 34 dedicated a whole decree to setting out explicitly the characteristics of the Jesuit way of doing things or 'way of proceeding' (GC 34 D26). The following eight characteristics can help us to clarify key elements of an Ignatian way of doing advocacy:

• Being people with a deep personal love of Christ
• Being contemplatives in action
• Being an apostolic body within the church
• Being in solidarity with those most in need
• Being in partnership with others
• Being called to learned ministry
• Being people sent, always available for new missions
• Being committed to to pursuing the 'magis'.

Key Elements of an Ignatian Way of Doing Advocacy

Drawing on the spirituality of the Exercises, the reflections of recent General Congregations on Jesuit identity and ways of acting, and the experience of Jesuit organisations in undertaking advocacy, we propose the following as key elements of an Ignatian way of doing advocacy:

In Solidarity with the Poorest & Most Marginalised

Our advocacy respects the experiences and perspectives of the people and groups most directly affected by injustices. It thus has the following features:

• Our advocacy stands with the poorest and most marginalised people and groups and seeks to enable their participation and make their voices heard.
• Our option for the poor leads us to judge the justice of structures, policies and institutions by their impact on the poorest and most marginalised.
• We engage critically and constructively with centres of power to promote more just and inclusive relationships.
• We accept that suffering, frustration and vilification will often result from following Jesus, poor and humble, by advocating for and with the poor and marginalised. These are not risks to be eliminated but are rather the cost of discipleship.

Intellectually Rigorous & Competent

• Our advocacy is grounded in study, research and rigorous analysis in the face of ignorance and prejudice. It proceeds from an honest engagement with reality.
• Our advocacy seeks a deep understanding of particular local contexts and their place within regional and international dynamics.
• We seek well-trained, highly competent co-workers and partners, gathering all the intelligence, knowledge, imagination and ingenuity we can in order to respond creatively to needs.

 Loving & World Affirming

 Our advocacy is inspired by love of God and love of our sisters and brothers. Due to that, it has the following features:

• It is never simply against any group, position, or thing - it is always for right relationships, which build up the justice of God's reign in this world.
• Our advocacy includes identifying positive signs of the times, holding up what is good, and sharing good practice.
• We seek to reconcile the rich and poor, powerful and powerless, in right relationships of justice, love and peace because we see reconciliation with God, among ourselves and with the creation to be the most genuine way of making real our "faith that does justice" mission.

 Contemplatives in Action (Discernment)

Our a