Mission & Identity
Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, Elected 31st Superior General of the Society of Jesus
1966 and was ordained a priest in 1977. He holds a bachelor ' s degree in philosophy from the Catholic University Andrés Bello in Caracas, a bachelor’ s degree in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and a doctorate in political science from the Universidad Central de Venezuela. He was provincial superior of the Society of Jesus in Venezuela from 1996 to 2004. Fr. Sosa speaks Spanish, Italian and English and understands French.
Prior to his appointment as provincial, he was in charge of the social apostolate of the Jesuits in Venezuela, which includes the Jesuit network of schools for the poor, Fe y Alegría. He was also head of the Centro Gumilla, the Jesuit-run social and action research center.
Among his distinguished academic posts, he has served as a member of the founding board of the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas and rector of the Catholic University of Táchira. He has taught and researched political science in many different institutes and colleges, and in 2004 was a visiting professor at the Latin-American Studies Center of Georgetown University.
Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ
October 14, 2016— Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, SJ, of Venezuela was elected the 31st Superior General of the Society of Jesus at the Jesuits’ General Congregation 36( GC 36) today in Rome. Fr. Sosa is the first Latin American Superior General of the Society of Jesus, the largest religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church.
Fr. Sosa, Delegate of the General for the International Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome, was elected by 212 Jesuit electors at the General Congregation, the supreme governing body of the Society, which is currently being held at the Jesuit Curia, the Society’ s headquarters in Rome. He succeeds Father Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, 80, who resigned last week after serving as Superior General since 2008.
" I am delighted to share the good news that the Congregation has elected Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, as our new Father General," said Fr. John Cecero, SJ, provincial of the USA Northeast Province. " It has been a truly inspirational experience to take part in this election, and on behalf of our USA Northeast Province, I have already extended our prayerful best wishes to Father Sosa. Let us continue to pray in thanksgiving for Father General and his leadership for years to come."
Fr. Sosa was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 12, 1948. He entered the Society of Jesus in September
Fr. Sosa, only the 31st Superior General in the Society’ s 476-year history, now leads the 16,740 Jesuits worldwide. This includes about 12,000 priests; 1,300 brothers; 2,700 scholastics; and 753 novices, according to Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, General Counsellor and Assistant ad Providentiam.
In an interview at GC 36 before the election, Fr. Sosa said delegates gathered come from different countries, but they share a common culture linked to their experience of the Ignatian spiritual exercises and practices of discernment. " We have a long tradition and a strong desire to listen to the same voice, that is the voice of the Holy Spirit."
The election was held after four days of murmuratio, a centuries-old practice of one-on-one conversation and information gathering, designed to prepare the delegation for the selection of a new Superior General.
The day of the election began with a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit at Santo Spirito Church, the 12th-century church across the street from the Curia. Father James Grummer, SJ, Vicar General of the Congregation, delivered the homily.
Fr. Grummer reflected on their task to choose a new leader:“ Our mission this morning is to elect a General. We will be locked into an upper room, not for fear but for concentrated listening to the Spirit’ s whisper. We are not afraid because we believe so strongly that the Spirit
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