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Pope Francis
1 “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.”
—Pope Francis
2 “As you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop of Rome. It seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosen one who is from faraway. ... Here I am. I would like to thank you for your embrace.”
—Pope Francis
3 “My people are poor and I am one of them.”
—Pope Francis
4 “We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind.”
—Pope Francis
5 “A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces…”
—Pope Francis
6 “Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”
—Pope Francis
7 “A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms.”
—Pope Francis
8 “The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps.”
—Pope Francis
9 “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
—Pope Francis...
The Superior General
Fr. Arturo Sosa SJ
“The Jesuit is a servant of the joy of the Gospel”
(Pope Francis to General Congregation 36, November 2016)
The Jesuit Superior General, and the Curia which serves him and the Society of Jesus, helps Jesuits to be joyful servants of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our motto is Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam - for the Greater Glory of God.
The General Superior is mandated by a General Congregation, the highest governance body in the Society, to govern the Society on a day-to-day basis together with his counsellors and other governing structures of the Society.
Father Arturo Sosa was born in Caracas, Venezuela on 12 November 1948. Studying in the College of San Ignacio, he discovered the beauty of helping others through the Marian Sodality. The Jesuit brothers he met during his studies impressed him and he began to consider a Jesuit vocation. He entered the novitiate of the Jesuits at the age of 17 in September 1966, a time of transition in the Church following the end of the Second Vatican Council the previous year. As a young man he was very passionate about improving his country, so after the normal philosophical and theological formation of a young Jesuit, he studied for a doctorate in political science from the Universidad Central de Venezuela.
In 1975 while he was studying in Rome, he met Father Pedro Arrupe (then the Jesuit General) and was fascinated by him. After being ordained to the priesthood in 1977, Fr Sosa became the province coordinator for the social apostolate, during which time he was also director of Centro Gumilla, a centre for research and social action for the Jesuits in Venezuela. This role also involved working with the Jesuit network of schools for the poor, Fe y Alegría. He was also committed to academic work as a professor. Father Sosa participated in the 33rd General Congregation of the Society where, at 34 years of age, he was the youngest delegate. He was also present at the 34th General Congregation, where he came to know his predecessor as Superior General, Father Adolfo Nicolás.
Fr Sosa was the provincial superior of the Society of Jesus in Venezuela from 1996 to 2004. As provincial, he led the province in a common discernment, creating a province plan with a vision that has lasted for 20 years. At the end of his term as provincial, he was assigned to the Catholic University of Táchira and he was determined to make this a border university on the frontier.
In 2008, Father Nicolás appointed Fr Sosa to the role of General Counsellor, based in Venezuela. In 2014, Fr Sosa joined the General Curia community and took on the role of Delegate for Interprovincial Houses of the Society of Jesus in Rome, which include the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Vatican Observatory, La CiviltàCattolica, as well as international Jesuit colleges in Rome. Fr Sosa speaks Spanish, Italian and English, and understands French. He was elected Superior General on the 14th October 2016....
Provincial
Fr. Danis Ponniah SJ
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