19/01/2008 17.58.07
西班牙籍耶穌會士阿道弗·尼古拉斯神父當選爲耶穌會新任總會長
（梵蒂岡電臺訊）正在羅馬總會召開第三十五届大會的天主教男修會耶穌會，于元月十九日上午選出西班牙籍、現年七十一歲的阿道弗·尼古拉斯（Adolfo Nicolàs）神父爲新任總會。他成了這個修會會祖聖依納爵的第二十九任繼承人，接替卸任的荷蘭籍柯文柏神父的職位。參加本届大會的有來自全球的二百十七位代表，當選者必須獲得半數以上的票數才有效。
耶穌會創于公元一五四零年，目前有會士一萬九千多位，分佈在五大洲的一百一十二個國家爲福音服務。新任總會長尼古拉斯神父一九三六年四月二十九日生于西班牙的帕倫西亞（Palencia），一九五三年進入耶穌會做初學生。在西班牙取得哲學碩士學位之後，于一九六四年至一九六八年之間在日本東京讀神學。一九六七年三月十六日在東京晋鐸。一九七一年在羅馬額我略大學取得神學碩士學位後，回日本耶穌會創辦的上智大學擔任系統神學教授。
一九七八年到一九八四年尼古拉斯神父在菲律賓馬尼拉擔任牧靈學院院長；一九九三年至一九九九年擔任耶穌會日本省省會長。在當選爲總會長之前，從二零零四年到二零零七年他是耶穌會東亞地區和大洋洲省會長會議主席。他通曉西班牙語、日語、英語、法語和意大利語。今天，元月二十日下午四點，參與本届大會的會士代表們將在位于羅馬市中心，耶穌會所屬的耶穌聖名堂舉行感恩彌撒聖祭。
UCA News - www.ucanews.com
ZY04262.1481 January 21, 2008 67 EM-lines (707 words)
VATICAN Jesuits Elect Spaniard, Who Spent Most Of His Life In
Asia, As New Head
By Gerard O'Connell, Special Correspondent in Rome
ROME (UCAN) -- The Jesuit General Congregation has elected Spanish
Father Adolfo Nicolas, who has spent 43 years of his life in Asia,
mostly in Japan but many also in the Philippines, as their new
superior general.
"A specialist in the inculturation of Christianity," is how Father
Jose M. de Vera, head of the Jesuit press office in Rome, described
his former missionary confrere in Japan to the media.
Born in Palencia, Spain, on April 29, 1936, Father Nicolas joined the
Jesuits in 1953. He studied theology in Tokyo 1964-1968 and was
ordained a priest there in 1967.
After completing a master's degree at Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome from 1968-1971, he returned to Asia.
He has "great theological experience," having taught systematic
theology at Sophia University in Tokyo (1971-1978) and served as
director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila (1978-1984),
Father de Vera said.
Father Nicolas also brings "great experience of government" to his
new position as leader of 19,200 Jesuits in 112 countries on all
continents, he continued.
The new superior general headed the Jesuits' Japanese Province
1993-99 and was serving as moderator of the Jesuit Conference of East
Asia and Oceania at the time of his election. The conference includes
the Australian, Chinese, Indonesian (with Malaysia-Singapore and
Thailand regions), Japanese, Korean, Philippine and Vietnamese provinces.
Other sources say Father Nicolas is deeply committed to dialogue with
other religions and cultures, and to working for social justice along
the lines of Father Pedro Arrupe, a fellow Spaniard who led the
Jesuits 1965-1983 and who also spent most of his priestly life in Japan.
"He is a worthy successor of (Father Peter-Hans) Kolvenbach, and (is)
in the image of Arrupe", a senior Jesuit involved in social justice
work told UCA News.
"We have lost the best one," said an overjoyed Korean Jesuit, one of
the 217 delegates, including 67 from Asia and Oceania, who voted by
secret ballot in the Jesuit Curia on the morning of Jan. 19. They
elected Father Nicolas on the second ballot.
Speaking to UCA News, several Jesuits and some Vatican officials
highlighted the new Jesuit leader's deep spirituality. "Adolfo is a
splendid and holy person," one Jesuit said, reflecting the views of
many. Others described him as "inspirational," "very sociable" and
"with a good sense of humor."
In assessing the significance of the election, some issues stand out.
One is that when the Japanese bishops took a strong stance on
decentralization and other issues at the 1998 Synod for Asia, some in
the Vatican charged Father Nicolas with playing a significant role in
helping formulate these "radical" positions.
Sources said Father Nicolas' subsequent nomination as rector of
Pontifical Gregorian University was blocked because of this. As
Jesuit superior general, however, he becomes vice chancellor of that
university.
Also, on the eve of the election, Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to
Father Kolvenbach, 79, who resigned after serving as superior general
from September 1983. The pope thanked him for his great service and
praised the Jesuits for their apostolic work in many fields, but also
called them to obedience, particularly in certain areas.
In the letter dated Jan. 10, which Father Kolvenbach transmitted to
the delegates, the pope acknowledged the Jesuits' extensive formative
role "in the areas of theology, of spirituality, and of mission."
Pope Benedict expressed his desire to provide them "a clear
orientation." He wrote: "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."
The delegates elected Father Nicolas as the 30th head of the Society
of Jesus, co-founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, its first head, in
1534, after four days of prayer and informal soundings.
Welcoming the election, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi,
president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, who was in
Rome for a synodal council meeting, told UCA News, "This is the work
of the Holy Spirit!"
END
留言列表
