GC35 In Their Own Words

Delegates Speak: What Has Struck Me Most...

posted by: webkmccarthy on Friday, February 15, 2008

General Congregation 35
Special Edition I HEADLINES 2008/02
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* Questions before the Congregation
* Adolfo Nicolás: the new Father General through the eyes of the delegates
* Delegates talk about "What has struck me most"
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* Questions before the Congregation

As we move into the decisive and crucial last weeks of the Congregation I have the feeling we are facing a set of difficult questions, or should I say alternative routes. Some may speak of 'tensions', but I prefer to use the term 'options', because the Congregation needs to make clear choices. One can live with tensions, but Ignatius insists that as Jesuits we have also to make choices. These 'options' are not wholly unrelated to the situation confronting our sisters and brothers all over the world. Here they are, without any claim of being an exhaustive list.

1. Should we envision a Jesuit mission prophetically stressing oneness?
Before answering the question it may be easier to reflect on the situation confronting young people who approach political elections with increasing cynicism and distrust. The figures of Barack Obama in the US and Walter Veltroni in Italy are self-explanatory new icons. Different as they are, both have made an appeal to go beyond the traditional division of right and left, republican and democrat. Both have adopted a simple and straightforward language and have made a strong appeal to heal divisions and build new bridges, to distrust old political ideologies and families and speak decidedly, loudly, and clearly about new hope for the young. Mutatis mutandis, I tend to believe that many young Jesuits in this Congregation may be asking us something similar. Do we stress the interests of our apostolic sectors or plan strategically for integrated apostolic initiatives? Which way shall we go? Which option do we want to take?

2. Should we embrace alarmism or hope? These two options are more complex than we imagine. Traditional values and ethical norms have been liquidated and nothing seems to have replaced them. All established religions are experiencing a strong movement to defend their symbols, to talk about themselves, and to claim a space in public life. Some among them have moved beyond and want a return to a rigid understanding and practice of concrete laws. The so-called alarmists have strongly objected to the way they feel mocked and rejected in public by a certain section of the press. A few days ago, in a Spanish journal, a noted theologian, Olegario Gonzalez questioned the theological compatibility between 'creative fidelity' [fidelidad creativa] and 'founding split' [ruptura instauradora]; between a life-giving fidelity and a divisiveness-promoting approach. If we decide to walk on the path of hope and harmony, how do we, in collaboration with others, deal with the risks facing ordinary people? What can create a hope that it is not alarming and yet is open to an eschatological horizon, to the limitations imposed by social and physical sustainability?

3. How strongly should we call for raising our intellectual standards? The discussion on the intellectual apostolate generated a consensus even if its content is not yet fully clear. I, at least, sensed the Spirit shaking our apostolic body represented in the Congregation gently but firmly. It seemed to remind us of past commitments and present failures. The concern expressed was for excellence that could be both caring and responsive to social injustice and exclusion. In an age that has put such a high price on the production and distribution of knowledge, we may be asked to take drastic remedial steps. How far do we want to go? How many compromises do we have to make? How far is this going to affect admissions and leadership?

4. Can we be global and universal without creating central bureaucracies?
While discussing certain new proposals to make our structures of governance more global, many may be fearful of increasing centralisation and bureaucracy. They have in their favour the example of the European Union (EU). Ordinary citizens feared the increased power of a hidden, and accountable-to-no-one bureaucracy ensconced in Brussels and they rejected the proposed EU constitution. The fear of being absorbed by a few dominant countries has plagued the discussion of 'qualified majorities'. On the other hand, the benefits of surrendering state sovereignty--read provincial autonomy--have been enormous: economic, social and cultural benefits have accrued to all citizens of the EU. The benefits of re-structuring our government and strengthening its central core may become clearer if we look at the extraordinary economies of scale enjoyed by many relatively small venture companies in Bangalore and the Silicon Valley. They have become powerful nodal points that gather, process, and analyse huge quantities of information, and have the capacity to respond rapidly and strategically. How can we remain local and universal, mobile and rooted, agile and institutionally based?

Fernando Franco SJ
10 February 2008
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* Adolfo Nicolás: the new Father General through the eyes of the delegates

"I have met Fr Adolfo Nicolás on three occasions. Here, and in Loyola in 2005, and then, in Lisbon we met once for two or three days while taking a break. He has always seemed to me a person with a big heart, and I can confirm this now; someone extremely cordial, sympathetic, a man of smiles and of time freely given. An extremely humble, simple person... His homily at the Gesù church locates him clearly within his apostolic choices and tells us where his heart is. He also keeps a profound mysterious 'halo' of Asia. The fact that he comes from there shows that there is something like a change of coordinates for the Society as well, from north to south, from west to east, from the dominant culture to thoughts that provoke us and open us to new dimensions." (Roberto Jaramillo SJ, Amazonia, Brazil)

"We didn't know Father Adolfo Nicolás at all, and that's one of the remarkable aspects of the elections of the Society. I had heard his name because he was Secretary of GC34 but I had never seen his picture, I didn't know him at all, and it was the same for many other African delegates. After the election, from the point of view of the work of the Congregation, I felt very peaceful, very happy; I think that we have worked well. Adolfo Nicolás is someone who is good at relationships, at giving attention to the person.
He also has a simplicity in the good sense, mixed with sobriety." (Augustin Karekezi SJ, Rwanda)

"First of all, he is a person of great goodness. I have known him as Secretary of GC34 and afterwards during the preparations for GC35 in 2007.
What catches my attention is his immense goodness. He is a good person. And a good person is also a person who is good for the Society. On the other hand, he is a man with a great capacity to work. Something that I have noticed in his way of working is that he never gets anxious. We all get stressed when we have many things to do, in times of pressure, like this type of meeting. He never gets stressed, and things grow, flow. A great capacity for serene work. And he doesn't make others anxious either with his way of working." (Arturo Sosa SJ, Venezuela)
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* Delegates talk about "What has struck me most"

"As the work progresses at GC, and as we present themes, share and discuss the documents, we realize that all of us here do not attach the same meaning to many of these major concepts or terms. Words sometimes can resonate differently depending on which part of the world we come from. Nuances and connotations that emanate from a word can be contradictory. 'Secular' in Asia and Africa is a positive word, in the context of religious fundamentalism and intolerance. It means that all religions are equally respected and that society/Government is not associated with any religion; we say 'it is a secular Government, and as such is desirable and favourable to us'. But in Europe and the Americas, 'secular' carries a different connotation, a negative meaning. The secular society/Government distances itself from religions and has nothing to do with, and even opposes, religious faiths and practices. Secularism is opposed to religion." (Hector D' Souza SJ, Kohima, India)

"One of the things that has impressed me most is how many dialogues and encounters one can have by the end of a single day. This was very clear in the days of the murmurationes [leading up to the election of Fr General], but in general, I can tell you that I live side by side with a Jesuit from Ecuador and one from Madagascar; then I walk down here to the Curia every day with a Korean and a Catalan; in the hall I set next to a Belgian, to my left there is an African, in front of me an Australian... During lunch, you meet people who talk in four or five languages, from all parts of the world, and it goes in this way on all day long. It is a unique experience. Someone in GC34 proposed that Jesuits should be allowed to participate only once in a GC so that others too could have this experience, and I think that it is a blessing from God." (Roberto Jaramillo SJ, Amazonia, Brazil)

"Ignatius spent much time out with the stars and flowers, being touched by the wonder of God's immense creation. His hero was Jesus-- Jesus who came to give life, life in overflowing abundance. The universe calls to the excitement of great dreams. The danger Ignatius wanted to avoid is mediocrity, being satisfied with the routine, the safely acceptable. You can almost feel this spirit in the GC. It's like the Jesuits looking at today's world, and seeing that if there ever was a time to dare, it is now."
(Francis De Melo SJ, Bombay, India)

"I was struck and I continue to be struck by the Jesuits from Eastern Europe, from countries that were under 'hard Communism': the Czechs, the ones from Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania. It's the way in which they have done their formation as Jesuits in secret that strikes me--what they have received, how they have received it, and how that helps them now. That's an extraordinary experience. " (Augustin Karekezi SJ, Rwanda)

"Variety has become the beauty of the Society. Anywhere, at any time, as an international family, the Society of Jesus had its own pluriformity. But now all the more, in the modern world, we could see the varied perspectives that are coming and are in contact with one another. And I could see, even in comparison with the previous congregation, that now people are articulating, expressing themselves, and in that way also exhibiting a new reading of their varied situations." (Jerry Rosario SJ, Madurai, India)

"In the conversations we experienced that the presence of the spirit is a reality. It was a discovery to us that even today it still works, even among as many as 225 people. GC35 was and is a real possibility to practice communal discernment for the sake of all of us and of the whole Society.
This is one of the main messages of the congregation to the whole Society, that if this communal discernment works on this level, amongst so many people, then why not on the province level, everywhere. Why not even in local communities? Every one of us will return with this very deep experience and I hope that the spirit of communal discernment will be renewed in the whole society. This is very important in a changing world."
(Szabolcs Sajgó SJ, Hungary)

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