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Third week of General Congregation 36.

 

The works of the Congregation

On Monday morning, October 17, the delegates gathered again in the Aula. The first to speak was the newly elected Father General; he underlined once again the legacy that his predecessor, Father Adolfo Nicolas, leaves behind. The outgoing General will enjoy a short break before starting his new ministry in the Philippines. Fr Sosa then sketched an overall picture of the work that remains to be done.

Following the recommendations of the Coordinating Committee, it was proposed to the Assembly to postpone the election of the assistants. We believe that it is preferable for this election to take place once the Congregation has fulfilled another important task: updating the governance structures of the Society at the universal level, in order to achieve the greatest possible apostolic effectiveness. Once this is accomplished, the Congregation will be able to identify and elect the Assistants to work with Fr. General within the new governance structures.

See Fr. John Dardis’ article about the works of the Congregation from the perspective of the frontiers “Faces from the Frontiers” 

 

A first encounter with the press

Just a few days after his election, Father General Arturo Sosa met with some 70 journalists in the aula of the General Congregation, his baptism to this kind of event as Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was introduced by Fr. Federico Lombardi who mentioned that the new General had been part of the 33rd General Congregation in 1983 as the youngest delegate. He noted that Fr. Sosa was the first non-European General of the Jesuits.

In his initial remarks, the new Superior General stated that he was at peace, that although he certainly did not expect to be elected, he was confident in God and ready to serve the Society of Jesus and the Church in this new role. He also mentioned how grateful he was, on behalf of the whole Society, to his predecessor, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, who had given himself entirely to his service. Finally, he stated that this General Congregation was not expected to change the direction the Jesuits have been involved in for decades now, that is, the service of the faith and the promotion of justice. Rather, there is a need to find the best and most efficient ways to serve today in a diversified and multicultural world and in a context that is asking for multiple types of collaboration.

 

Testimonies about our new Father General

After an intense weekend, the work of the Congregation continues, but we are still working on bringing different testimonies of those who know our new Father General. Since last Friday, when he was elected, we have had many conversations with companions, friends, and different people around the Curia and around the world, that are helping us to have a better sense of who is P. Arturo Sosa, SJ

Here there are some testimonies:

- “ A man used to work in complex situations” –  Fr. Jorge Cela, SJ. President of the Conference of Latin American Provincials. 

- “For me, who is Arturo Sosa?” – Fr. Arturo Peraza, SJ. Provincial of Venezuela 

- “Father Sosa as delegate for the Roman Houses” – Fr. David Nazar, SJ. Rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute 

 

Visit to Vatican Museums

Almost all the delegates to the General Congregation and many members of the supporting  teams left the General Curia to travel to the Vatican Museums, a twenty minute walk. Father Adolfo Nicolás was among them for his last night in Rome before leaving for a new mission of his Jesuit life. For two and a half hours, the delegates enjoyed a visit organized especially for them, outside of business hours. 

 

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