On Sunday morning June 7th Fr. Severin Leitner, the Regional Assistant and council member of Fr. General for Central and Eastern Europe, passed away while trekking on the Gran Sasso mountains in Aquila, Italy.

According to different media, he was with a younger priest on the road while reaching a height of 2800 meters, he slipped on a snowfield, plunged over a cliff and felt down 400 meters.

On this occasion, Fr. John Dardis, CEP President, writes: “The death of Severin Leitner yesterday in a walking accident in the Apennines came as a great shock. I offer my condolences to his family, to the Austrian province, to his community in Rome and to the East Central Assistancy (ECO) Jesuits.

Severin was a man who combined great human warmth and capacity for friendship with leadership and organisational skills. At European level, he served as Formation Delegate for the Conference of Provincials. As Assistant for ECO, he worked tirelessly on the issue of province re-configuration. Known for his smile and for his gentleness, he will be missed by many European Jesuits. May he rest in peace.“

Less than a week ago, on June 1st, Fr. Leitner sent us this mail: “Thank you very much for the new Jesuits in Europe – News: well done! Severin Leitner SJ”