Adolfo Nicolás New Head of Jesuits
Society of Jesus Elects 71-year-old Spaniard as Superior General
The Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order, elected Adolfo Nicolás, 71 and a Spaniard, as its new Superior General, approved by Pope Benedict XVI.
Both Reuters and Catholic News Service reported that after four days of deliberations, Spanish-born Father Adolfo Nicolás, 71, was elected Superior General of the Society of Jesus during a secret conclave on January 19, 2008. The Jesuit order was founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540. In keeping with tradition, the delegates did not make their decision public until after Pope Benedict XVI was notified.
The 217 electors to the Jesuit General Congregation, chosen from some 19,200 members worldwide, selected Father Nicolás on the second ballot at their headquarters one block from the Vatican. Their closed-door assembly included prayer, silence and the expected murmuratio or murmurings about who should succeed 79-year-old Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach. The Pope granted the conciliatory Dutchman's unusual request to be released from his responsibilities because of age.
The "Black Pope"
In some circles, the Jesuits' leader is called the "black pope" because of his simple cassock's color, a stark contrast to the white garments of the head of the Catholic Church. The designation also refers to the amount of influence the Superior General wields internationally.
Profile of Father Nicolás
Father Nicolás was born on April 29, 1936, in Palencia, Spain. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1953, earned a degree in philosophy and then studied theology in Japan, where he was ordained a priest in Tokyo in 1967. After receiving a master's degree in theology from Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, he returned to Tokyo to teach systematic theology at Sophia University.
His assignments have included:
- Director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila, The Philippines (1978-1982);
- Rector of the Jesuit Scholastic program in Japan (1991-1993);
- Provincial for Japan (1993); and
- Moderator of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania (2004 to the present).
The accomplished theologian and administrator speaks Spanish, Japanese, English, French and Italian.
Concerns and Expectations
Acknowledging a pervasive sense of anxiety in the Catholic Church during a December 2007 interview with the Australian Jesuit newsletter Province Express, Father Nicolás said, "We have certainly been diligent in addressing our problems whenever we have seen them, but the uneasiness in the Society and the Church has not disappeared... How come we elicit so much admiration and so little following?" This was perhaps an oblique reference to the dwindling number of priestly vocations (down from the order's 1960s peak of 36,000).
Nicolás' background brings with it the expectation that he will work closely with Pope Benedict XVI in matters of dialogue between Christianity and other faiths.
Conclave
The delegates' meeting is expected to continue for at least one more month, during which time they will discuss matters of governance, mission, vocation and the Society of Jesus' future.
