Adopted in Rome on 28 January 2001, modified by the General Assemblies on 16
September 2016, 27 June 2017 and 13 July 2022
Between the undersigned […] a non-profit making society is set up governed by these statutes and
by the 21 April 1924 Luxembourg act on non-profit-making societies and foundations.
I. NAME, REGISTERED OFFICE, EMBLEM
Article 1: Name
The society is called the “World Union of Jesuit Alumni and Alumnae”. It is hereafter called the “World
Union”.
Article 2: Registered office
To comply with the law, the registered office of the World Union is in the City of Brussels or Rome.
Should it be necessary for the future to change the registered office to another city, the decision shall
be taken by the Council.
Article 3: Emblem
The emblem of the World Union and of all its member organisations comprises the coat of arms of
Loyola.
II. DURATION AND OBJECT
Article 4: Duration
The World Union is set up for unlimited duration.
Article 5: Object
The World Union is an international society with spiritual, cultural and social purposes. It can carry
out its activity in every country. Its officers and Council can meet either in its registered office or in
any other place in the world. The World Union’s objectives are the following:
1. To preserve and develop bonds of friendship, communication and solidarity among Jesuit
alumni/ae throughout the world.
2. To encourage Jesuit alumni/ae to co-operate actively with the Society of Jesus in its various
missions, particularly in education, spiritual life, community service and social justice.
3. To help Jesuit alumni/ae to stand by the education which they were given, based on Christian
humanism and Ignatian spirit, above all so that they play their part, through their personal life
and their social action, in the building of a world where persons can fulfil themselves with
complete dignity; for this, to encourage them to address their minds to all issues of spiritual
and moral life leading to personal and collective commitment.
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4. To offer Jesuit alumni/ae the opportunity of continuing formation to help them to integrate
their Ignatian obligations into their personal and professional lives.
The World Union will achieve these objectives partly by its own means, partly by supporting the
initiatives of the local associations.
III. MEMBERS
Article 6: Access to membership
Full membership of the World Union is open to all associations of former students of educational
institutions of the Society of Jesus or of Ignatian inspiration that accept these statutes. This
membership can be obtained either directly or through national groupings, federations or
confederations.
Individual membership of the World Union is available to alumni/ae of the above educational
institutions.
Article 7: Loss of membership
A member association can withdraw from the World Union by written notice to the Secretary. In
addition, the General Assembly can, by a two-thirds vote, exclude an association whose activity is
incompatible with these statutes. The Council may suspend an association whilst awaiting the final
decision of the General Assembly.
On its side, the Society of Jesus can cease to recognise an association which no longer retains the
Jesuit character.
IV. ORGANISATION
Article 8: The Congress
1. The Congress consists in reflective works lasting at least four days on a theme and according to
a programme which are approved by the Council. It is open to every former student of an educational
institution of the Society of Jesus or of Ignatian inspiration.
2. The Congress normally meets every four years. The President may, however, ask the Council to
extend or reduce this period by one year.
3. The meeting place of a congress is chosen by the General Assembly in accordance with a rotation
among world areas in the following order: Africa, Latin America, North America, Europe/Middle East,
East Asia/Oceania, South Asia.
4. The practical organization of the Congress is carried out by the association and/or federation of
the place that has been chosen, under the control of the Executive Committee of the World Union.
5. The president of the World Union announces and opens the Congress.
6. Out of proposals emanating from working groups, the Congress passes resolutions aiming at
guiding the World Union’s action.
Article 9: The General Assembly
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1. Composition
The World Union’s General Assembly is made of representatives of the full members, i.e. the
member associations. These representatives are national delegates or the presidents of national
federations or of continental confederations. Only these representatives have the right to participate
and vote.
2. Periodicity and place of meetings
The General Assembly normally meets on the occasion of the Congress. In addition, it meets when
the Council or a fifth of member associations asks for it; the Council then decides when and where
it will be held.
3. Convening
The President convenes the General Assembly and sets its agenda which must include any
proposition coming from at least a twentieth of full members. The notice, comprising the agenda, is
addressed to all member associations. In case of necessity or urgency, the General Assembly may
be convened virtually and may meet using a videoconference platform allowing for full interactivity.
The necessity and urgency shall be determined by the Council through the issuance of a regulation
that shall additionally regulate all the formalities for holding its virtual meetings.
4. Prerogatives
The General Assembly:
a) Elects the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the regional members
of the Council, each for a mandate lasting until the following General Assembly. The last elected
President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer shall not be eligible for offering their
candidature for the same post for a third consecutive term of office.
b) Approves the President’s report and the Treasurer’s financial report;
c) Determines the level of the annual dues which cannot exceed 1000 euros per association;
d) Chooses, within the limits set up in paragraph 3 of article 8, the meeting place of the following
congress;
e) Decides on the exclusion of an association whose behaviour has been inconsistent with the
statutes;
f) Modifies the statutes;
g) Decides on the dissolution of the World Union.
Points a) to d) are subject to simple majority vote, e) to g) to a two-thirds majority vote. Besides, any
modification of the statutes concerning the object of the World Union requires a majority of threequarters.
5. Votes
The right to vote in the General Assembly belongs to full members, which are local associations.
These associations exercise their voting rights through national groupings, federations or
confederations, which they delegate for doing so. Each national grouping, federation or
confederation has a number of votes related to the number of associations it represents, according
to the following scale:
Number of associations represented Number of Votes
from 1 to 5 associations one vote
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from 6 to 10 associations two votes
from 11 to 15 associations three votes
from 16 to 20 associations four votes
from 21 to 40 associations five votes
Above 40 associations Six votes
Article 10: The President and the Vice-President
The President inspires and leads the Union on the basis of the objectives set up in these statutes
and of the resolutions voted by the Congress. He represents the World Union. He appoints, on a
proposal from the Secretary or from any member of the Council, permanent representatives of the
World Union to international organisations to which it belongs. He is assisted by the Vice-President,
who replaces him in case of temporary disability. In case of permanent disability or resignation or
death, the Council elects a new president who remains in office until the following General Assembly.
In the same cases and for the same mandate, the Council elects a new Vice-President.
Article 11: The Secretary
The Secretary conducts the ordinary business of the Union. He keeps the list of memberassociations and maintains contact with them. He drafts the minutes of the Executive Committee,
Council and General Assembly meetings and maintains the archives of the Union. In co-operation
with the Treasurer, he ensures that membership dues are collected. He helps the President to
convene the General Assembly and to ensure that it is well run. He is responsible for disseminating
the resolutions of the Congress. In the case of resignation, permanent disability or death, the Council
elects a new secretary who carries out his duties until the following General Assembly.
Article 12: The Treasurer and Finance
The Treasurer is responsible to the Council for the World Union’s assets. He manages its bank
account, receives its financial resources, in particular annual dues, and makes the payments which
fall on it. He keeps the accounts. Each calendar year, he submits to the Council the accounts of the
last year and the budget of the following year. In case of resignation, permanent disability or death,
the Council elects a new treasurer who remains in office until the following General Assembly.
Article 13: The Council
1. Composition
The Council of the World Union is made of eighteen members:
* four ex officio: the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer;
* fourteen elected by the General Assembly on the basis of two each for Africa, Latin America, North
America, Europe and South Asia and of one each for the Middle East, East Asia, South East Asia
and Oceania. In the case of resignation, permanent disability or death of an elected member, the
Council appoints a new member from the same region who remains in post until the following
General Assembly.
2. Functioning
The Council meets at the time of each congress and at least once in the interval between
congresses. Its annual decisions are made using written communication. It is convened and chaired
by the President and takes its decision by simple majority. The President has a casting vote in the
case of equal division of the votes. In case of necessity or urgency, the Council may be convened
virtually and may meet using a videoconference platform allowing for full interactivity. The necessity
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and urgency shall be determined by the Council through the issuance of a regulation that shall
additionally regulate all the formalities for holding its virtual meetings.
3. Attributions
The Council decides on the major action lines of the World Union such as are proposed by the
President. It approves the budget and the accounts. If necessary, it elects persons responsible for
carrying out on a provisional basis the duties of President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer.
Should the necessity arise, the Council is empowered to recruit a person or persons, paid or
volunteer, to manage specific projects, including management of the day-to-day functions of the
World Union, under specific terms of reference agreed by the Council prior to the recruitment of the
person or persons. This person, or these persons, would report to the Council, which would retain
responsibility for the projects, through the Executive Committee. It approves donations made to the
World Union. In general, it has management and administrative powers, with due regards to
prerogatives given to the General Assembly by article 9§4.
Article 14: The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee comprises the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The
Executive Committee is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the World Union. It is convened
and chaired by the President and takes its decisions by simple majority. The President has a casting
vote in the case of equal division of the votes.
Article 15: The Jesuit Counsellor
The World Union is assisted by a Jesuit priest who is appointed by the Superior General of the
Society of Jesus and who acts as his delegate. He takes part, without voting right, in meetings of the
Executive Committee, of the Council and of the General Assembly of the World Union and remains
in close touch with the President and the Secretary. His role is to assure the relationship between
the Union and the Society of Jesus in order to make known to Jesuit alumni/ae the Society’s priorities
and to the Society the concerns of the Jesuit alumni/ae.
V. MODIFICATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE STATUTES
Article 16: Modification of the statutes
Every member association and every member of the Council may propose modifications of the
statutes. Proposals of modification must be sent to the Secretary at least 3 months before the
following General Assembly. They are listed in the agenda of the General Assembly which decides
on them by a two-thirds vote, three-quarters if it concerns the object of the World Union.
Article 17: Procedure for the implementation of the statutes
The Council approves, to the extent that may be required, the regulations for the implementation of
the present statutes.
Article 18: Interpretation of the statutes
Problems in interpreting the provisions of the statutes are resolved by the Secretary, who proposes
a solution to the Executive Committee which determines how the problem will be resolved in
immediacy, including, if necessary, through a modification of these provisions to be submitted to the
following General Assembly.
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All terms of male gender used by these statutes to express qualifications (alumnus, President, etc.…)
are to be considered as having an equal female value. The statutes are written in French, English
and Spanish which are the three working languages of the World Union.
For the Council:
Alain DENEEF, President
Regulation for implementing the statutes
Adopted in Paris on 20 April 2002, modified by the Council on 18 September 2016.
Article 1: Convening of the General Assembly
The President of the World Union invites full voting members to the General Assembly provided for
in Article 9 of the statutes eight months in advance in the WUJA Newsletter, on the website or by
mail and asks them to put forward proposals for the agenda. These proposals must be received not
less than three months in advance.
Article 2: Determination of voting rights in the General Assembly
1. The president of each federation or confederation, or his/her delegate, who intends to take part in
the General Assembly, declares this intention to the Secretary of the World Union. This declaration
must reach the Secretary two months in advance and must indicate the number, names and
addresses of associations represented.
2. Associations of countries without a federation that wish to be represented at the General Assembly
choose a national delegate or give a proxy to their confederation president or the president of another
federation. The national delegate or the president then declares this intention to the Secretary of the
World Union. This declaration must reach the Secretary two months in advance and must indicate
the number, names and addresses of associations represented.
3. On the basis of these declarations and of the information he has himself on the existing
associations, the Secretary of the World Union determines, in conformity with the relevant provisions
of the statutes, the voting rights of each federation or confederation president or national delegate
taking part in the General Assembly and informs them of his decision.
4. At the opening of the General Assembly, the President and the Secretary, acting together, have
the authority to accept further representatives. They shall determine their voting rights.
Article 3: Candidacies for World Union offices
Candidacies for the posts of officers of the World Union (president, vice-president, secretary and
treasurer) and of regional members of the Council must be received in writing by the Secretary of
the World Union three months in advance. They must be accompanied by the written support of the
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association to which the candidate belongs. Candidates for election to the Council must belong to
the area which they intend to represent.
Article 4: Candidacies for the organisation of the following World Union Congress
A federation or an association belonging to the area in which, according to the statutes, the following
congress is to take place, and wishing to organise this congress, shall send its candidacy to the
Secretary of the World Union to be received at least six months before the General Assembly that
will make the decision. The letter of candidacy must include the town chosen, the association(s) or
federation that will take responsibility, a letter of support from the Jesuit Provincial responsible for
the area and a brief outline of the organisation.
If no candidacy is received by the prescribed time, the Council will take over the responsibility for
choosing an area and a location to organise the next scheduled congress. In its choice, the Council
will consider the possibilities offered by the different areas of the rotation list established by the
statutes. The President will notify the situation to the General Assembly. As soon as the Council has
made its decision, it will be made public on the website and in the WUJA Newsletter.
Article 5: Voting procedures in the General Assembly
1. At the beginning of the General Assembly, the Secretary shall announce the names of
representatives having the right to vote and the number of votes that they have.
2. The General Assembly shall choose two scrutineers who will supervise the voting operations.
3. For decisions taken relating to Article 9 § 4 a, d, e and g of the statutes, voting shall normally be
by secret ballot. For decisions taken relating to Article 9 § 4 b, c and f of the statutes, voting shall
normally be by open vote (show of hands).
For the Council:
Alain DENEEF, President
Carlos Maria GIANICOLO, Secretary