The U.S.-based branch of the Jesuits has unveiled ambitious plans for a “truth and reconciliation” initiative in partnership with descendants of slaves once owned by the Roman Catholic religious order. The Jesuits pledge to raise $100 million within five years from their existing fundraising network. The broader goal is to raise $1 billion from an array of donors in pursuit of racial justice and racial healing. The Jesuits’ partner in the initiative is an association representing the descendants of 272 enslaved men, women and children sold by the Jesuit owners of Georgetown University to plantation owners in Louisiana in 1838.
