Father Adolfo Nicolás elected the New Superior General of the Jesuits

According to the Jesuit website, "Father Adolfo Nicolás was elected Superior General of the Society of Jesus on Saturday, 19 January in a solemn ceremony following four days of prayer and conversation by the 217 electors who came to Rome from all over the world."

We'll see what this means.

Here is an article on Father Nicolás from Februrary, 2007: http://www.express.org.au/article.aspx?aeid=2305. 

Here are excerpts of Pope Benedict XVI's letter to the retiring Superior General, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach: http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=56043.

Here is the complete letter of Pope Benedict to Peter-Hans Kolvenbach: 

To the Reverend Father

PETER-HANS KOLVENBACH, S.J.

Superior General of the Society of Jesus

            On the occasion of the 35^th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, it is my fervent desire to extend to you and to all those taking part in the Assembly my most cordial greetings, together with an assurance of my affection and of my constant spiritual nearness to you.  I know how important for the life of the Society is this event which you are celebrating, and I further know that, consequently, it has been prepared with great care.  This is a providential occasion for impressing upon the Society of Jesus that renewed ascetic and apostolic impulse which is wished by all, so that Jesuits might fulfill completely their mission and confront the challenges of the modern world with that faith to Christ and to the Church which distinguished the prophetic action of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and his first companions.

            The Apostle writes to the faithful of Thessalonica of having announced to them the gospel of God, “encouraging you and imploring you” — Paul specifies — “to comport yourselves in a manner worthy of God who calls you to his kingdom and to his glory” (1 Th. 2:12), and he adds: “Indeed on account of this we continually thank God because, having received the divine word preached by us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, as the word of God, which works in you who believe” (1 Th. 2:13).  The word of God therefore is first “received”, i.e., heard, and then — penetrating all the way to the heart — it is “welcomed”, and who receives it recognizes that God speaks through the agent sent to deliver it: in this way the word acts in believers.  As then, so even today evangelization demands a total and faithful adhesion to the word of God: adhesion first of all to Christ and to attentive listening to his Spirit which guides the Church; humble obedience to the Pastors whom God has placed to guide his people; and prudent and frank dialogue with the social, cultural, and religious appeals of our time.  All this presupposes, as we know, an intimate communion with Him who calls us to be friends and disciples, a unity of life and of action which is fed by listening to his word, by contemplation and by prayer, by detachment from the mentality of the world and by unceasing conversion toward his love so that it may be He, the Christ, who lives and works in each of us.  Here is the secret of authentic success for the apostolic and missionary commitment of every Christian, and even more of all those called to a more direct service of the Gospel. 
           Such an awareness is certainly well present among those taking part in the General Congregation, and I am eager to honor the great work already completed by the preparatory commission which in the course of 2007 has examined the postulates sent by Provinces and indicated the themes to be faced.  I would like to direct my thoughts of gratitude in the first place to you, dear and venerated Father Superior General, who since 1983 has guided the Society of Jesus in an enlightened, wise, and prudent manner, seeking in every way to maintain it in the channel of its founding charism.  For objective reasons, you have at various  times asked to be relieved of so heavy a post, assumed with a great sense of responsibility at a moment in your Order’s history which was not easy.  I express to you my most heartfelt gratitude for the service you have rendered to the Society of Jesus and, more generally, to the Church.  My sentiments of gratitude extend to your closest collaborators, to the participants of the General Congregation, and to all Jesuits scattered in every part of the world.  To all and to each should arrive this greeting from the Successor of Peter, who follows with affection and esteem the multiple and appreciated apostolic works of the Jesuits, and who encourages all to continue in the path opened by your holy Founder and walked by innumerable hosts of your brothers dedicated to the cause of Christ, many of whom are inscribed by the Church among its saints and blessed. From heaven, may they  protect and sustain the Society of Jesus in the mission which it carries out in this our current age, marked by numerous and complex social, cultural, and religious challenges.

            Indeed regarding this theme, how can one not recognize the valid contribution which the Society offers to the Church’s activity in various fields and in many ways?  Truly a great and meritorious contribution, one which only the Lord will be able to rightly reward!  As did my venerated Predecessors, the Servants of God Paul VI and John Paul II, I too gladly wish to take this opportunity of a General Congregation to bring such a contribution to light and, at the same time, to offer for your common reflection some considerations which might be of encouragement for you and a stimulus to implement ever better the ideal of the Society, in full fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church, such as described in the following formula which is well familiar to you: “To serve as a soldier of God beneath the banner of the Cross and to serve the Lord alone and the Church, his spouse, under the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth” (Apostolic Letter Exposcit debitum, 21 July 1550).  One treats here of a “peculiar” fidelity confirmed also, by not a few among you, in a vow of immediate obedience to the Successor of Peter “perinde ac cadaver”.  The Church has even more need today of this fidelity of yours, which constitutes a distinctive sign of your Order, in this era which warns of the urgency of transmitting in an integral manner to our contemporaries — distracted by many discordant voices — the unique and immutable message of salvation which is the Gospel, “not as the word of men, but as it truly is, as the word of God”, which works in those who believe.

            That this might come to pass, it is indispensable — as earlier the beloved John Paul II reminded participants of the 34^th General Congregation — that the life of the members of the Society of Jesus, as also their doctrinal research, be always animated by a true spirit of faith and communion in “humble fidelity to the teachings of the Magisterium” (Insegnamenti, vol. I, pp. 25-32).  I heartily hope that the present Congregation affirms with clarity the authentic charism of the Founder so as to encourage all Jesuits to promote true and healthy Catholic doctrine.  As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I had the opportunity to appreciate the valid collaboration of Jesuit Consultors and experts, who, in full fidelity to their charism, contributed in a considerable way to the faithful promotion and reception of the Magisterium.  Certainly this is not a simple undertaking, especially when called to announce the Gospel in very different social and cultural contexts and when having to deal with different mentalities.  I therefore sincerely appreciate such labor placed at the service of Christ, labor which is fruitful for the true good of souls in the measure in which one lets oneself be guided by the Spirit, remaining humble as regard the teachings of the Magisterium, having reference to those key principles of the ecclesial vocation of the theologian which are delineated in the Instruction Donum veritatis.

            The evangelizing work of the Church very much counts on the formative responsibility which the Society has in the areas of theology, of spirituality, and of mission.  And, really so as to offer the entire Society of Jesus a clear orientation which might be a support for generous and faithful apostolic dedication, it could prove extremely useful that the General Congregation reaffirm, in the spirit of Saint Ignatius, its own total adhesion to Catholic doctrine, in particular on those neuralgic points which today are strongly attacked by secular culture, as for example the relationship between Christ and religions; some aspects of the theology of liberation; and various points of sexual morality, especially as regards the indissolubility of marriage and the pastoral care of homosexual persons.

            Reverend and dear Father, I am convinced that the Society senses the historic importance of this General Congregation and, guided by the Holy Spirit, wants once again — as the beloved John Paul II said in January 1995 — to reaffirm “unequivocally and without any hesitation its specific way to God, which St. Ignatius sketched in the Formula Instituti: loving fidelity to your charism will be the certain source of renewed effectiveness” (Insegnamenti, vol. XVIII/1, 1995, p. 26).  Furthermore, the words my venerated Predecessor Paul VI directed to the Society in another analogous circumstance appear so very current: “All of us must be vigilant so that the necessary adaptation will not be accomplished to the detriment of the fundamental identity or essential character of the role of the Jesuit as is described in the Formula Instituti as the history and particular spirituality of the Order propose it, and as the authentic interpretation of the very needs of the times seem still to require it.  This image must not be altered; it must not be distorted.”  (Insegnamenti, vol. XII, 1974, pp. 1181-1182)

            The continuity of the teachings of the Successors of Peter stands to demonstrate the great attention and care which they show toward the Jesuits, their esteem for you, and the desire to be able to count always on the precious contribution of the Society to the life of the Church and to the evangelization of the world.  I entrust the General Congregation and the entire Society of Jesus to the intercession of your holy Founder and the saints of your Order, and to the maternal protection of Mary, so that every spiritual son of Saint Ignatius might be able to keep before his eyes “first of all God and then the nature of this his Institute” (Formula Instituti, 1).  With such sentiments, I assure you of a constant remembrance in prayer and in a heartfelt way I impart to you, Reverend Father, and to the Fathers of the General Congregation and to the entire Society of Jesus, a special Apostolic Blessing.

Vatican, 10 January 2008

                                                                                   Benedict PP XVI

Comments

[Ed Peters]

That they chose someone well experienced in Eastern Asia is not surprising to me.

[Mark Brumley]

Nor I.
However: it remains to be seen whether his ideas about interreligious dialogue and his "theology of religions" are sound. Does Father Nicolas fit with what B-16 was looking for? In any case, it will be interesting to see the Holy Father's reaction.

[Joseph Fossie]

It is important, of course, to recall that the electors do not leave the aula until they receive word of the pope's approval. We should trust the Holy Father and his judgement, to do otherwise is to question divine providence.

[joe]

"Father Nicolás says he’s wary of missionaries who don’t enter into the lives of the people, but keep the patterns of their home cultures – Europe or Latin America - alive in their mind. For them, it’s not about exchange but about teaching and imposing orthodoxy."

"Imposing orthodoxy..."

Yes, we will see what this election means. But those last words seem to suggest that the Jesuits will continue to ignore papal pleas, and to operate more as enemies of the faith than true friends of man. I hope I am wrong and the disingenuous claptrap in the profile is not indicative.

[Ed Peters]

Do we know what American electors were sent?

[Joseph Fossie]

Again, let us remember the process: This man has been elected by the General Congregation of the Jesuits after days of prayer, fasting, and spiritual conversation AND, more importantly in some regards, approved by the Vicar of Christ to lead the Society of Jesus. Let us show some fealty in this regard and respect the Holy Father.

To search the Internet to find something that just might be incriminating--as was most obviously done in this case--shows an utter disregard for the life we are called to in the Bark of St. Peter. Gotcha politics dominate the American way of life; can't we witness to the something greater? Please.

I'm very saddened to see such disrespect shown to the Holy Father, so very sad indeed.

[BillyHW]

Won't someone please think of the children?

[Tom]

Joseph,

It's always good to remember that Providence permits evil as well. Just because someone prays about a decision doesn't necessarily mean he will be able to discern well.

[Joseph Fossie]

Tom,
Of course, you're right about providence, and the sad story of our beloved Campion College in San Francisco is proof of that.

My point really is the disrespect being shown our Holy Father. At different times in recent congregations of the Jesuits, from what I understand, popes have injected themselves in the proceedings. If Benedict XVI did not think that the fathers of the general congregation elected a candidate suitable given what he had written to them, he would have informed them of that. He didn't. Period. End of chapter.

Can we not try to emulate in some manner what the Jesuits themselves are called to and accept the Holy Father's will with some measure of equinamity?

It seems people are wishing ill--and that's a various serious sin, even more serious because it uses pious sentiments as a cloak to do so.

Do not look for rafts other than the Bark of Peter, where alone we find safety as the waves toss us and the winds whip us.

[Placid]

I'm with Joseph on this one. Other sites have Peter Hans Kolvenbach's docile response to the pope's letter posted as well--it's absence from this site is telling.

[Jackson]

"...its absence from this site is telling."

Of what?

[Joe]

"To search the Internet to find something that just might be incriminating--as was most obviously done in this case--shows an utter disregard for the life we are called to in the Bark of St. Peter. Gotcha politics dominate the American way of life; can't we witness to the something greater? Please."

Sorry, but this sort of thinking is what has paralyzed much of the Church in some respects. If the Jesuits have over long years now shown serious departures from the faith in their publications, if they have let loud voices lead many astray, if they have given external signs of following Rome's will while all ignoring it, they hardly deserve veneration. Their older history is awe-inspiring. Their more recent history seems less so. To imply Benedict approves if he does not intervene is like saying he approves of Mahoney if he does not remove him. I just can't believe that is the case.

As for searching the internet, the quote is indicative of most Jesuit material today. It is poisoned with vagueness and a willingness to turn tradition on its head. A web prowler like A Fr. O'Leary can sound orthodox in one breath and then reveal a heterodoxy that is frightening. If the order as a whole allows it on a large scale, it is hardly surprising to suspect the leaders when the indulge in similar-sounding pc talk.

[Ed Peters]

No one I've seen posting has condemned the new FG, and all concede honorable interpretations could be applied to what is known. It's just that, to some reasonable and experienced observers, the impression the new man looks remarkably iffy, at this point. The difference is only, when HPK was elected, this caliber of info was not avaialable so quickly. Folks just gotta deal with it.

[Mark Brumley]

To search the Internet to find something that just might be incriminating--as was most obviously done in this case--shows an utter disregard for the life we are called to in the Bark of St. Peter. Gotcha politics dominate the American way of life; can't we witness to the something greater? Please.

I'm very saddened to see such disrespect shown to the Holy Father, so very sad indeed.

How is it, Joseph Fossie, that the reference/link to the item I made above indicates that I searched the internet to find something incriminating, as opposed to searching the internet to find something encouraging or even simply to search the internet to find something informative?

It remains to be seen whether the new head of the Jesuits will be approved by the Holy Father or if he is, whether he will be faithful to the mission of the Church. If that proposition seems problematic to you, I don't know what to say. I won't assume Father Nicolas will be a failure; but neither will I assume he will be faithful. We'll see.

As for Placid's remark about the absence of Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenback's response on this site being "telling", pray, tell us, what it tells? And how you know this?

[Paul Lakeland]

You guys need to get over all this second-guessing. The Pope is a wise man, the electors of the General Congregation are pretty wise people and I have little doubt that Adolfo Nicolas is a wise man too. It's very important for us to recognize that the depth of his experience in situations most of us simply do not know will bring new insight to a Church that needs it. One thing for sure, the hang-ups and petty squabbles of the right and left in the American Church, mostly the squabbles of spoiled brats of one kind or another, will not be high on Nicolas's list of priorities. Good luck to him!

[rd]

from what i see on the internet, fr nicolás is currently based at the ateneo de manila, although his work apparently is mostly with japan and china.

i don't get the impression that the ateneo de manila is a center of dissent, so i would expect visible conflicts to arise with the philippine jesuits if fr nicolás were teaching something that isn't catholic.

much of asian news is still not online, so perhaps readers of this site from the philippines might have additional info to share about him that's not readily available on the web. knowing how filipinos tend to chatter loudly quite a bit when world news has a significant philippine connection (good or bad), i suggest that we look out for filipino sources to find out more about the character of fr nicolás.

[Jackson]

Paul, the phrase "imposing orthodoxy" doesn't raise your skeptical antennae?

[Mark Brumley]

We'll all have to wait and see, though some speculation reflects better judgment and greater knowledge than other speculation.

It hard to see how it is disrespectful, per se, to the pope to discuss publicly the man who has been selected to head the Jesuits, a religious order with great influence in the Church and the world. Nor is evident how it is disrespectful to acknowledge a widely known fact--the Society of Jesus has lots of problems, most of which are due to dissent from Church teaching within the Jesuits. Nor is it clear how it betokens deeper piety to say that this election is providential (as if it could be otherwise) or that the pope is wise (to be sure, he is), the electors are wise (how we know that, I am not sure of), or that this is about left-right squabbles in the American Church (as if fidelity to the teaching of the Church, which the Holy Father asked the GC to make a point of affirming, is a squabble in the American Church), etc.

We don't know much about Father Nicolas. The Jesuits have serious problems, which wind up affecting the whole Church and the Church's mission to the world. Previous FG have not solved these problems, which run wide and deep.

So why, given the above, is it problematic to ask questions about Father Nicolas and to try to learn, as far as we can, what his election might bode for the Jesuits and the Church?

We shouldn't assume things, of course, or leap to conclusions. And we must take what we read in the press with a grain of salt. But that doesn't mean we have to act as if we just emerged from a forty-year stint in a sensory deprivation chamber. At least some of us know something about the Jesuits and are in a position to talk intelligently on the subject of the order's problems. That may not be enough accurately to predict the future but it is enough to justify reasonable discussion of the present.

[Brian Schuettler]

Let us remember the Principle and Foundation of the Society of Jesus and pray that Father Nicolas faithfuly follows it:

Man was created to praise, do reverence to and serve God our Lord, and thereby to save his soul; and the other things on the face of the earth were created for man's sake and to help him in the following out of the end for which he was created. Hence it follows that man should make use of creatures so far as they do help him towards his end, and should withdraw from them so far as they are a hindrance to him with respect to that end. Wherefore it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent toward all created things, in whatever is left to the liberty of our free choice and is not forbidden, so that we on our part should not wish for health rather than sickness, for riches rather than poverty, for honor rather than ignominy, for a long life rather than a short life, and in all other matters should desire and choose solely those things which may better lead us to the end for which we were created.

****************************************

Everything is grace. - Praise and glory to Jesus Christ

[Carlos Antonio Palad]

"Posted by: Paul Lakeland | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 08:10 AM

from what i see on the internet, fr nicolás is currently based at the ateneo de manila, although his work apparently is mostly with japan and china.

i don't get the impression that the ateneo de manila is a center of dissent, so i would expect visible conflicts to arise with the philippine jesuits if fr nicolás were teaching something that isn't catholic.

much of asian news is still not online, so perhaps readers of this site from the philippines might have additional info to share about him that's not readily available on the web. knowing how filipinos tend to chatter loudly quite a bit when world news has a significant philippine connection (good or bad), i suggest that we look out for filipino sources to find out more about the character of fr nicolás."

I'm a Filipino, so I'll comment. Strangely enough, this news has not received attention in Philippine news outlets.

The Ateneo De Manila IS a center of dissent, giving much support for contraception and generally attacking or sidestepping papal authority. In the Philippines, "Ateneo" is a byword for "liberal". Last year it invited top dissidents Fran Ferder and Fr. Heagle to give talks on human sexuality, and only pressure from the local bishop stopped the talk. Nevertheless, Ateneo still published their book on sexuality. Ateneo is also a center of liberation theology. The school of theology associated with Ateneo, Loyola House, has prominent dissidents (like Dr. Jose De Mesa of Concilium) in its faculty. It also invited gay activist Danton Remoto to give a theological lecture last year on the spirituality of homosexuality.

I can't reveal his name lest he face reprisals, but I can say under oath that when Fr. Nicolas was elected, a prominent conservative priest in the Philippines who personally knows this man immediately reported to me that he is 'anti-Roman and a modernist". Incidentally, TIME's article on Fr. Nicolas also notes that he has been described "only half-jokingly" as "not liking Rome".

As for respect for the Holy Father: of course, we trust that the Holy Father knows what he is doing. The Pope may have his reasons that we don't know. Nobody is saying that Fr. Nicolas will lead a massive rebellion against Rome, or is anybody wishing him ill. Nevertheless, the fact that someone is appointed with papal consent does not mean that that person is a paragon of orthodoxy: that is pretty much obvious after the experience of the last 45 years. And I don't think it is disrespectful to the Holy See to point out that some of the people appointed with its consent have less than stellar records. If it were disrespect, then all criticism of bishops like Mahony and Weakland and Gumbleton should be forbidden, period.

[Carlos Antonio Palad]

"Posted by: Paul Lakeland | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 08:10 AM

from what i see on the internet, fr nicolás is currently based at the ateneo de manila, although his work apparently is mostly with japan and china.

i don't get the impression that the ateneo de manila is a center of dissent, so i would expect visible conflicts to arise with the philippine jesuits if fr nicolás were teaching something that isn't catholic.

much of asian news is still not online, so perhaps readers of this site from the philippines might have additional info to share about him that's not readily available on the web. knowing how filipinos tend to chatter loudly quite a bit when world news has a significant philippine connection (good or bad), i suggest that we look out for filipino sources to find out more about the character of fr nicolás."

I'm a Filipino, so I'll comment. Strangely enough, this news has not received attention in Philippine news outlets.

The Ateneo De Manila IS a center of dissent, giving much support for contraception and generally attacking or sidestepping papal authority. In the Philippines, "Ateneo" is a byword for "liberal". Last year it invited top dissidents Fran Ferder and Fr. Heagle to give talks on human sexuality, and only pressure from the local bishop stopped the talk. Nevertheless, Ateneo still published their book on sexuality. Ateneo is also a center of liberation theology. The school of theology associated with Ateneo, Loyola House, has prominent dissidents (like Dr. Jose De Mesa of Concilium) in its faculty. It also invited gay activist Danton Remoto to give a theological lecture last year on the spirituality of homosexuality.

I can't reveal his name lest he face reprisals, but I can say under oath that when Fr. Nicolas was elected, a prominent conservative priest in the Philippines who personally knows this man immediately reported to me that he is 'anti-Roman and a modernist". Incidentally, TIME's article on Fr. Nicolas also notes that he has been described "only half-jokingly" as "not liking Rome".

As for respect for the Holy Father: of course, we trust that the Holy Father knows what he is doing. The Pope may have his reasons that we don't know. Nobody is saying that Fr. Nicolas will lead a massive rebellion against Rome, or is anybody wishing him ill. Nevertheless, the fact that someone is appointed with papal consent does not mean that that person is a paragon of orthodoxy: that is pretty much obvious after the experience of the last 45 years. And I don't think it is disrespectful to the Holy See to point out that some of the people appointed with its consent have less than stellar records. If it were disrespect, then all criticism of bishops like Mahony and Weakland and Gumbleton should be forbidden, period.

[rd]

carlos: thanks for the insight. i obviously need to meet more ateneans to get a better gauge of the situation at the ateneo de manila.

news reports have started to point out similarities between fr. nicolás and fr. pedro arrupe. should this be something of concern?

[Wayne]

Carlos wrote:"anti Rome" and "not liking Rome"
does this mean that he is pro eastern liturgies and theological approaches?
What you said about the area's promotion of teaching contrary to chastity is very concerning.
Similarly for the promotion of liberation theology.
Either we pray for this FG and the Jesuits, or we write them off and wait for the next FG. I suggest that we are commanded to pray, always, in hope.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Folks, paranoia and suspicion prevail in your comments. Any sign that the paralyzing grip of neocaths on the life of the Church is being loosened elicits these reactions of fear. The whole tone of your discussions is one of discontent, when it is not one of strident triumphalism. Where is the broad outlook of the Council? Where is the Gaudium, where the Spes?

The idea that I am "frighteningly unorthodox" would make more sense if the person touting it could illustrate it. His state of "fright" is mostly a product of his own fearful mind, I imagine.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Folks, paranoia and suspicion prevail in your comments. Any sign that the paralyzing grip of neocaths on the life of the Church is being loosened elicits these reactions of fear. The whole tone of your discussions is one of discontent, when it is not one of strident triumphalism. Where is the broad outlook of the Council? Where is the Gaudium, where the Spes? There is a lot of Gaudium and Spes among the Jesuits here in Tokyo today.

The idea that I am "frighteningly unorthodox" would make more sense if the person touting it could illustrate it. His state of "fright" is mostly a product of his own fearful mind, I imagine.

[Si Fractus Fortis]

As a new convert to Catholicism, I don't understand why "Spirit of Vatican II" calls the commentors on this blog "neocaths". What is "neo" about respect for the Pope, the tradition of the Church and and its teaching? I would have thought that was just "cath".

Surely he is not advocating that being "catholic" is about disrespect for the Pope and the traditions and teaching of the Church? And where would he find in the documents of Vatican II any support for that attitude?

[Rick]

Si Fractus Fortis, The Spirit of Vatican II is a Jesuit priest named Fr. O'Leary. He likes to use the terms neo-Caths to denote those who are faithful to the Church's magisterium but not the "Spirit of Vatican II" as he sees it. Perhaps his commments and thus his whole attitude about the Church is nothing but a state of "fright that is a product of his own fearful mind." I suppose if he can aim that psychological gun at us "neo-caths," we can aim it right back at him!
Overall, his blog and comments are well worth reading to see some of the turmoil that exists in the Church. Unfortunately, I had to experience it for 4 years at the Jesuit college I attended, after that experience I was either going to be an atheist or a Catholic who is faithful to the Church.

[Mark Brumley]

One quick observation: I took the comment about Father Nicolas not liking Rome (reportedly made half-jokingly) to refer to the city, not to the Pope. The FG lives in Rome, so Father Nicolas' election will require his relocating to Rome.

[Si Fractus Fortis]

Thanks, Rick, for enlightening me. Perhaps I am very naïve, but I am amazed that a Jesuit priest can think such things. Don't Jesuits take an oath to obey the Pope "perinde ac cadaver"?

[Thomas]

Yes, Si Fractus Forits, the Jesuits do take that vow. And often times men break vows and imperil their souls.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Please note that I am NOT a Jesuit -- not holy enough. I do teach in a Jesuit university and I have deep admiration for the Jesuit tradition.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Please note that I am NOT a Jesuit -- not holy enough. I do teach in a Jesuit university and I have deep admiration for the Jesuit tradition.

Neocaths is my term for Catholic reactionaries who are hostile to the opening to modernity effected by the Council and who carry respect for the Pope to the extreme of ultramontanist papolatry (and who generally suspend this respect in the case of Paul VI).

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Neocaths is my term for Catholic reactionaries who are hostile to the opening to modernity effected by the Council and who carry respect for the Pope to the extreme of ultramontanist papolatry (and who generally suspend this respect in the case of Paul VI).

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Although I have not checked this, I believe that "perinde ac cadaver" is a phrase used by Ignatius about obedience; I think that the phrase does not occur in the fourth vow -- generally church vows refrain from extravagant language. The fourth vow means that Jesuits will undertake any mission on which the Pope sends them; it is not to be interpreted in a slavish manner. I think the vow is not taken by all Jesuits.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Oops, just notices that the papal letter above refers to the phrase "perinde ac cadaver" in connection with the fourth vow!

[Carl Olson]

Neocaths is my term for Catholic reactionaries who are hostile to the opening to modernity effected by the Council and who carry respect for the Pope to the extreme of ultramontanist papolatry (and who generally suspend this respect in the case of Paul VI).

Ah. That must mean that Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II are both "Neocaths," right? Not bad company to be in. Oops, there I go with that ultramontanist papolatry.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Now I see on an anti-Jesuit website (of the sort I thought no longer existed) what purports to be the complete text of the Fourth Vow. http://fatherjoe.wordpress.com/instructions/debates/debates/jesuits-are-papal-assassins/

It contains the phrase perinde ac cadaver in regard to obedience generally, including to the Pope, and in immediate conjunction a reference to readiness to undertake missions. Unfortunately the text seems to be seeped in violent counter-reformation attitudes, which suggest that is needs to be reinterpreted for modern use.

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Carl Olson, are you saying that Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI Neocaths are "Catholic reactionaries who are hostile to the opening to modernity effected by the Council and who carry respect for the Pope to the extreme of ultramontanist papolatry (and who generally suspend this respect in the case of Paul VI)"? That is the logical implication of your posting, but surely you do not seriously mean this?

[Spirit of Vatican II]

It is very annoying that an authorized text of the Fourth Vow cannot be found on the internet -- instead we have a deluge of what look like doctored versions from neanderthal anti-Jesuit sources. Woe betide the one who seeks religious enlightenment or responsible scholarship on the internet!

[Rick]

Fr. Joe, I respect that fact that you are a priest and have dedicated your life to God, but you must realize that many of the bloggers here are not going to agree with your interpretation of the spirit of Vatican II. Instead, many are going to side with our present pope's hermeutic of continuity which sees the Church as communio, not concilium. In addition, I think that many do respect Paul VI.
As far as the Jesuit tradition, I too have a fond affection for it, I was blessed to be able make the 19th annotation of the Spritual Exercises which Ignatius offered to those who did not have the time to do the 30 days of silence. The only thing is that at many Jesuit institutions the Theology departments have become a hodge podge of theological opinions, where Liberation and Feminist theologies and just about everything else has taken precedence over Catholicism. Had I known this, I would most likely not have spent tens of thousands on what I thought was a Catholic education.

[Mark Brumley]

A general observation: it would be great if we could all avoid ad hominems here and deal with specific, substantive issues in discussion.

[miguel alberto]

Curia Generalizia della Compagnia di Gesù
Borgo S. Spirito, 4
C.P. 6139 / 00195 ROMA-PRATI (Italia)
Tel . 06/689.771 – Fax 06/686.8214

HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Vatican City
Rome, 15 January 2008

Most Holy Father,

The General Congregation has received with profound attention and gratitude the
message that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has addressed to the Superior General and --through him-- to the whole Society of Jesus during this meaningful and important moment in the life of our Order.

The Holy Father has manifested once again the affection, spiritual closeness, esteem and gratitude with which the Successors of Peter have regarded and see the Society of Jesus, continuing to expect the faithful service of the Society for the integral and clear proclamation of the Gospel in our time. While the Holy Father confirms that the intimate union with Christ should be the secret of our apostolic and missionary life, he recalls the original charism of the
Society of Jesus as defined in the Formula of the Institute: “to serve as a soldier of God beneath the banner of the cross…and to serve the Lord alone and the church, his spouse, under the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth”.

In continuity with the interventions of His predecessors -- in particular Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of the previous General Congregations – and with his other previous interventions, the Holy Father recalls the particular bond that binds the Society of Jesus to the Successor of Peter, as expressed in the "fourth vow" of special obedience to the Pope. The Holy Father underlines "the formative responsibility of the Society in the fields of theology, spirituality and mission", asking "that the Congregation reaffirms, in the spirit of Saint Ignatius, its own total adhesion to catholic doctrine, in particular on the crucial points under attack today from secular culture”, examples of which he mentions explicitly.

The Society of Jesus affirms its own desire to respond sincerely to the call and demands of the Holy Father. The General Congregation will give them full attention in the course of its labors, a considerable part of which will be dedicated exactly on the topics of the identity and mission of the Jesuits, and on religious and apostolic obedience, in particular obedience to the Holy Father.

The Congregation has set out to face its tasks with confidence and serenity, knowing that it can count on the affection and prayer of the Holy Father and his deep understanding of the difficult challenge "to announce the Gospel in the various social and cultural contexts, being confronted with different mentalities", as the mission the Society of Jesus demands today for the service of the Church.

With profound gratitude,
devotedly yours in the Lord,
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J.

http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/GC35/PHK-to-Benedict%20XVI-1-15-08%20-ENG.pdf

[Jackson]

SVII, you seem to have a morbid fixation on time - in particular you seem to be afflicted with the "horror of the Same Old Thing" spoken of by Lewis in The Screwtape Letters:

"The horror of the Same Old Thing is one of the most valuable passions we have produced in the human heart – an endless source of heresies in religion, folly in counsel, infidelity in marriage, and inconstancy in friendship. The humans live in time, and experience reality successively. To experience much of it, therefore, they must experience many different things; in other words, they must experience change. And since they need change, the Enemy (being a hedonist at heart) has made change pleasurable to them, just as He has made eating pleasurable. But since He does not wish them to make change, any more than eating, an end in itself, He has balanced the love of change in them by a love of permanence. He has contrived to gratify both tastes together in the very world He has made, by that union of change and permanence which we call Rythm. He gives them the seasons, each season different yet every year the same, so that spring is always felt as a novelty yet always as the recurrence of an immemorial theme. He gives them in His Church a spiritual year; they change from a fast to a feast, yet it is always the same feast as before.
...Once they knew that some changes were for the better, and others for the worse, and others again indifferent. We have largely removed that knowledge. For the descriptive adjective 'unchanged' we have substituted the emotional adjective 'stagnant'. We have trained them to think of the Future as a promised land which favoured heroes attain - not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."

[miguel alberto]

OUR FATHER GENERAL: Fr. Adolfo Nicolas SJ

The day after the election of Fr. Adolfo Nicolas as Superior General of the Society of Jesus, many of us here in Rome find ourselves deeply grateful for the guidance of the Spirit. We believe in faith that it was the Spirit who led us to choose Fr. Nico--as we fondly call him in our part of the world--as the 29th successor to St. Ignatius. This past week, the newspapers in Italy had come out with lists of possible generabili. It is surely significant that Fr. Nicolas was never mentioned!

A Man of God

Fr. Nico embodies for many of us the primary quality St. Ignatius stipulates as desirable in the man who is to become General: that he be a man “closely united with God our Lord.” “Tell me,” an elector from Europe asked me soon after Nico’s election, “have we elected a saint?” Whatever the answer to that question, many have noticed and wondered at the serenity and joy that Nico radiates. There is a wholeness, a centeredness, a freedom about him that point to spiritual depth.

Yesterday, we walked up the stairs of the Curia to the Aula where Nico would later be elected General. He asked me if I had slept well; I answered that I had, more or less. I asked him, in turn, if he had slept well, both of us knowing, as had become clear on the last day of murmurationes, that he was a strong possibility among the electors. He simply smiled his Nico smile, and said, “Yes. I slept very well. There is always hope.” The genuine peacefulness with which he communicated this, in the face of such daunting possibilities, moved me deeply.
Yesterday afternoon, after the election, I visited him in his new quarters, the famous rooms of the General in the Curia. He said that, at lunch, he had asked Fr. Kolvenbach when this—that is, the reality of becoming General-- would hit him. Fr. Kolvenbach had answered: “Tonight.” This morning, I was surprised to find Nico (that is, Fr. General) knocking on my door, to give me the gift of the chain he had used to hang his GC 35 ID on, since he no longer needed it. I inquired about how he slept last night. He answered with his familiar smile: “Very peacefully.”

A Friend in the Lord

“A joyous man, warm, energetic, and with whom one feels so close!” These words of Fr. Louis Gendron, the Provincial of China, summarize well a second gift Fr. Nico brings to his new office. Fr. Ben Nebres, President of the Ateneo de Manila University and elector for the Philippine Province, speaks in the same vein: "When I think of him, the feelings that come are of affection and friendship. Fr. Nico is many things, but he is above all a companion and a friend. He brings the gift of friendship and encouragement of Blessed Peter Faber. He is a leader who will walk with us and who will invite us to find together, in conversation and prayer, the way that the Lord wants us to follow in our time."

Nor is this sentiment limited to Jesuits. In his letter of congratulations to Fr. Nicolas, Fr. Gabriel Je, the Delegate of the Korean Provincial in Cambodia, describes the delighted response of a lay missionary from Hongkong working with the Jesuits in Phnom Penh. She had met and been favorably impressed by Fr. Nico when he had visited Cambodia last year. On hearing of his election as General, she spontaneously exclaimed: “There is hope for the Jesuits!”

This warm, welcoming humanity of our new Fr. General—“I feel refreshed after talking with him,” one elector from India told me—is a quality that eminently fulfills the second qualification St. Ignatius mentions in his description of the ideal General: “Charity . . . should particularly shine forth from him, and in a special way toward the members of the Society; likewise a genuine humility which will make him highly beloved . . .”

Numerous Gifts of Person and Experience

To lead the Society as General clearly requires many other gifts. “He ought to be endowed with great intelligence and judgment,” Ignatius writes. “Learning,” “prudence,” “experience,” are among the necessary qualifications for governance that St. Ignatius adds to his list.

Fr. Nico, the “wise man from the East,” as some are already calling him, is richly blessed with such gifts that are both personal and the fruit of his broad experience of many cultures and governance on many levels. “Nowhere was it written that we wanted someone from the Orient,” Fr. Gendron observes. “But for the third time in a row, the Society has elected a missionary, like Fr. Kolvenbach and Fr. Arrupe, a Westerner who has spent most of his Jesuit life in the Orient.” There is something providential, surely, in this pattern.

Fr. Nico, European in origin and training, yet with such breathtakingly broad cultural exposure, and indeed exercising leadership for over forty years in various parts of Asia, brings with him crucial perspectives and sensibilities at a time when the Society of Jesus finds itself in major demographic transitions.
As a professional theologian of depth and creativity, he is also well equipped to help articulate for the Society faithful yet fresh and inspiring visions of our mission and religious life today. His years as Director (and at present, Chair) of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila involve a rich experience of respectful and fruitful cooperation with the hierarchies and local Church leaders of many continents. Moreover, because he worked for several years in the pastoral care of vulnerable Filipino and Asian migrant workers in Tokyo, he brings to his office a special care for the poor, whom the Church and the Society of Jesus call Jesuits to have a preferential love for. At the same time, because he has labored for many decades in the increasingly secular milieu of Japan, he also has a profound sensitivity to the challenges of unbelief and religious indifference that are the context and challenge of many parts of the developed world. Finally, as one who has been Provincial of Japan and President of the Conference of Provincials of East Asia and Oceania, as well as former Major Superior of our Jesuit missions in Cambodia, East Timor and Myanmar, Nico is no stranger to the requirements of governance and administration, and brings this rich administrative and leadership experience with him into his new office.

Young at 71

Yesterday, with a glint of mischievous humor in his eyes, Fr. Nico told me that he had never experienced so many Jesuits asking him with such concern about his health. This is, of course, entirely natural. Ignatius realistically lists sufficient “physical strength demanded by his charge,” as the final qualification of the General. And Nico is 71—72 by April.

His age was, frankly, a concern. But interestingly, it became clear to many of us that chronological years were not the most reliable measure of age where Nico was concerned. Paradoxically, one of the oldest among us was also one of the most youthful in energy and spirit. “He has the mind of a young man,” someone told me in admiration. “I have never walked with anyone who walked so fast. I have to tell him to slow down when I walk with him,” a Latin American Jesuit told me.

But perhaps it is best to let the young speak. Bishop Francisco Claver writes: “I was at LHS [Loyola House of Studies, the Philippine Province scholasticate] for supper when we got the news--everybody cheered like we were winning a basketball game!” In nearby Arrupe International Residence, the seventy or so scholastics there have been excitedly gathering to share stories and experiences of the General who, until yesterday, was their Major Superior. Scholastics, mostly in their twenties, from East Timor, Myanmar, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand have expressed their delight in and appreciation of the choice of the Congregation. Isaias Caldas, a junior from East Timor, wrote to his Regional Superior, Fr. John Mace, thus: “Personally I am excited and overjoyed because this General is someone whom I know personally, a General who always passes by in front of AIR after his lunch in EAPI, a General who once told us during one of his exhortations to the community to make our religious struggles become “big,” [broad in apostolic horizons] not limited only to our worries about prayer and chastity, a General who wants us to think now about what we can do in the future, a General who wishes us to be very good at one thing for, if that is so, we would be very useful in our ministry later, a General who has good humor and is friendly to us scholastics, a General who encourages me to read more and watch good movies like a good Jesuit.”

“Because we are poor, God is our only strength.”

Yesterday morning, in the Aula, when it became clear that Adolfo Nicolas had been chosen, and when he finally left his place among the electors to stand and then kneel in our midst to make his profession of faith, I found myself, to my embarrassment, unable to control my tears. I felt such pity for Nico, as we placed the enormous burden of the governance of the Society on him, and also such gratitude to him, too, for his willingness to accept this office for the sake of the Society. As I wept, I found myself repeatedly praying a single sentence: “Lord, help Nico.”

Today, however, I am more at peace, mostly because I see that the General is at peace too. This evening, Fr. General led us in a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Church of the Gesù. His homily (in Italian interspersed with a few “Italianized” Spanish words!) was deep and moving, radiant with “Evangelical simplicity,” one European Jesuit told me, “without a single excess word.” He reflected on the Servant of Yahweh in the book of Isaiah. Where does this humble servant get his strength to serve? To answer this question, Nico shared an experience he had during his ministry to migrant workers in Japan. A woman, a Filipina, overwhelmed by her many problems, confessed to her friend her confusion and near despair. Her friend, also a Filipina migrant worker, simply said to her: “Let us go to Church. Because we are poor, God is our only strength.” Once again, when I heard these last words, I felt tears rush to my eyes, because it seemed to me that Fr. General had borrowed the words of this poor, vulnerable, faith-filled woman to speak of himself.

“Because we are poor, God is our only strength.” It is surely appropriate, that as we pray in gratitude to God for the gift of our new General, we pray too for him. May God be Nico’s only strength, as he leads us, in wisdom, courage and compassion, in the Society’s service of “God alone and the Church, his spouse, under the Roman Pontiff,” ad majorem Dei gloriam.

- Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, S.J.
20 January 2008

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Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang SJ, 48, was born in Manila and studied at Xavier School in Green Hills and at Ateneo de Manila University. He entered the Jesuits in 1980, and was ordained eight years later. After completing doctoral studies in Theology at Catholic University of America, he taught at Loyola School of Theology. He is currently the Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus Philippine Province and one of the electors and participants of the 35th General Congregation.

[miguel alberto]

much of asian news is still not online, so perhaps readers of this site from the philippines might have additional info to share about him that's not readily available on the web. knowing how filipinos tend to chatter loudly quite a bit when world news has a significant philippine connection (good or bad), i suggest that we look out for filipino sources to find out more about the character of fr nicolás.
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rd, i find your comments above offensive against asians and especially Filipinos.

[Carl Olson]

That is the logical implication of your posting, but surely you do not seriously mean this?

Um, you're the one who once wrote, "Indeed the one person most responsible for bringing the Neocath generation into existence is John Paul II." So...

For more about Father O'Leary's views of "neo-Caths," read his own words on the topic.

[Si Fractus Fortis]

And to see what Fr. O'Leary thinks the "Spirit of Vatican II" looks like see josephsoleary.typepad.com/about.html

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Someone on the Commonweal blog says that the Pope was incorrect in quoting "perinde ac cadaver" -- the phrase does not occur in the Fourth Vow. She gives the text in French, and it just expresses willingness to undertake missions at the Pope's bidding in accord with the Jesuit Constitutions.

Fr Nicolas is melting opposition, and his reasonable understanding of what Jesuit obedience signifies is winning out over those who would like to see Jesuits as papal doormats, as the Swiss Guard!

[Spirit of Vatican II]

Of course John Paul II, with his new armada of "movements" and his promotion of Opus Dei, is the main architect of the vast conservative movement within Catholicism that I call neocathism. The issue is how one evaluates this movement. I see Neocaths as "Catholic reactionaries who are hostile to the opening to modernity effected by the Council and who carry respect for the Pope to the extreme of ultramontanist papolatry (and who generally suspend this respect in the case of Paul VI)". I think that is John Paul II and Benedict XVI have promoted such attitudes they have made a very big mistake that will in the long run prove very costly for Catholicism.

[Mark Brumley]

It is difficult to engage in a discussion with "Spirit of Vatican II" when there are apparently so few points of common ground. It seems plain incorrect to me to regard JP II and B 16 as hostile to an opening to modernity and as promoting ultramontanist papolatry. So I am at a loss to know where to begin.

Frankly, Father, your characterization of these men in the aforementioned manner strikes me as a gross caricature. And it is very hard fruitfully to dialogue with someone who caricatures people whose positions one takes as important points of departure for one's own views. Disagreement is one thing; caricature is something else.

I can understand that you might disagree with particular points of JP II and B 16 regarding modernity. But to make such a broad statement as that they are hostile to an opening to modernity strikes me as unjustifiable, indeed as incredible. How can one read, say, VALUES IN A TIME OF UPHEAVEL and characterize B 16 as hostile to an opening to modernity? Here is Ratzinger, as he does in CHRISTIANITY AND THE CRISIS OF CULTURES and TRUTH AND TOLERANCE, offering a nuanced critique of modernity, based, among other things, on an appreciation of other aspects of modernity, even of the Enlightenment. That is not a hostility to openess to modernity; it's a careful appropriation.

Now you might disagree with what Ratzinger criticizes and what he accepts in modernity. But how you can describe him as "hostile to an opening to modernity", without serious qualification, appears to be unfathomable.

May I suggest that polemics have taken over here?