Corona virus

Due to the outbreak of the corona virus, we decided to cancel all UCSIA events in March. Our coworkers will be working from home as much as possibe, so our opening hours will be limited.

We are following the measures taken by the University of Antwerp to support the principle of social distancing. In this way we, as university community, are trying to fight the further circulation of the virus in order to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

We will examine for each event if it is possible to reschedule it later on this year. The participants will receive an update by e-mail as soon as we have news on this topic. You will find all rescheduled events here.

For more information on the corona virus, we kindly refer you to the website of the University of Antwerp.

News in times of corona

New dates

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Tonight, before you fall asleep, think of the moment when we will be back in the streets. Of the moment when we will be able to hug each other again, of the moment when running errands together will feel like a celebration.

Let’s think of the moment when we will be able to drink coffee in a bar, talk about this and that, to take pictures close together. Let’s think about the moment when all this will be a bad memory, and ‘normal’ life will seem like an unexpected and beautiful gift.

We will love everything that seemed unimportant until today. Every second will be precious. Swimming in the sea, the sun until late in the evening, sunsets, raising our glasses again, joy. We will all be laughing together again.

Strength and courage. See you soon!

Stasera prima di addormentarvi pensate a quando torneremo in strada. A quando ci abbracceremo di nuovo, a quando fare la spesa tutti insieme ci sembrerà una festa.

Pensiamo a quando torneranno i caffè al bar, le chiacchiere, le foto stretti uno all’altro. Pensiamo a quando sarà tutto un ricordo ma la normalità ci sembrerà un regalo inaspettato e bellissimo.

Ameremo tutto quello che fino ad oggi ci è sembrato futile. Ogni secondo sarà prezioso. Le nuotate al mare, il sole fino a tardi, i tramonti, i brindisi, le risate. Torneremo a ridere insieme.

Forza e coraggio. Ci vediamo presto!

source: Italian social media

News in times of corona

European Values in Pandemic Times

The coronavirus pandemic has deepened the crisis of European values. The European Values lecture series, organized in collaboration with the Chair of European Values of the University of Antwerp, digs deeper into this with analyses by François Foret, Katlijn Malfliet and Peter Verovšek.
Watch the lectures and read more...

Mining and Sustainable Development Goals

The lecture series Debating Development, organized by IOB and USOS, is part of the subprogramme Europe and Worldwide Solidarity. We revisit last year’s edition on the role of the private sector in the development of the Global South and focus on the session on mining and SDGs.
Watch the lecture and read more...

Good read: Zero Point 1945

'Zero Point 1945. The Low Countries a Generation Later', recently published by Ons Erfdeel vzw, starts from the question whether we could consider 1945 as point zero for the world we live in today and how political constructions that emanated at the time, such as the welfare state and security cooperation, can be transformed to meet contemporary needs.
Read the article...

Fifth anniversary Laudato Si

In 2015, Pope Francis made a strong call for a solidary approach of the ecological crisis with the encyclic Laudato Si’. The website Laudato Si' Week collects all the initiatives on the occasion of its fifth anniversary, from online conferences to joint moments of prayer.
Go to Laudato Si' Week...

Webinar Fr. General on the mission of the Society of Jesus post COVID

On 30 April Fr. General Arturo Sosa sj gave a webinar on caring for the mission of the Society of Jesus post COVID following his letter of 25 March.
Watch the video
or read the text...

Revisiting the workshop on epidemiology and world health

In historic times of COVID-19, a scientific analysis of the way to combat epidemics and ensure basic health, leads us to revisit the conclusions of a workshop we organized three years ago. The content is remarkably topical for the times we are living in today.
Read and listen...

New vision statement 'Europe and Solidarity'

What does the UCSIA theme ‘Europe and Solidarity’ embrace? What topics are selected and why? What will we highlight in the coming years?
Read the new vision statement.....

UCSIA supports Jesuit Formation for European Leadership

What the European Union needs today, are leaders of change. Now is the time for the next generation of leaders to step up, the same way Adenauer, Schuman, Spaak or Gasperi did in the aftermath of a shattering war, designing a structure for the coming generations. The European Leadership Programme hopes to contribute to this goal.
Read more...

Pope Francis urges to reflect on “life after the pandemic”

In the wake of Easter, Pope Francis wrote a letter to the popular movements and organizations that keep the society going today, in the struggle against COVID-19. In this letter, he urges us not to fall into former routines at the end of this crisis, but to ask ourselves how we can do things differently.
Read the blog and reply...