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Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach on General Congregation 35 (2008)

The delegates of the 35th General Congregation had been in session just three days when they received a letter of greeting from Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff expresses his hope that “the present Congregation affirms with clarity the authentic charism of the Founder so as to encourage all Jesuits to promote true and healthy Catholic […]

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Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach’s Introductory Discourses for General Congregation 34 (1995)

Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, the superior general of the Society of Jesus, delivered the following remarks, over three days, to open the Jesuits’ 34th General Congregation. Kolvenbach reminds the delegates that their gathering had its “source and origins in the spiritual experience of Ignatius and his first companions,” that, in the words of Ignatius, theirs was “a

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Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach’s Homily at St. Peter’s Basilica, General Congregation 33 (1983)

The members of the 33rd General Congregation gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Mass, with their new superior general offering this homily. For more from the 33rd General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, please consult this page.     October 15, 1983   During this Eucharist which the General Congregation is celebrating for the

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John Paul II’s Homily to the Members of the 33rd General Congregation (1983)

At the Mass opening the 33rd General Congregation, Pope John Paul II offered the following homily. The pontiff declares a special interest in the Jesuits’ gathering, as the “General Congregation is an event that is destined also to have some important repercussions in the life of the Church.” He remained at the Jesuits’ Curia (or

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Father General Pedro Arrupe’s Homily to General Congregation 33 (1983)

At a Mass at La Storta, these remarks were read on behalf of Pedro Arrupe. General Congregation 33 marked 18 years that Arrupe had served as superior general, and the Mass was “a farewell and a conclusion” for Arrupe, who had suffered a debilitating stroke in August 1981.  For more sources from Arrupe, please visit The Arrupe

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Father General Pedro Arrupe to General Congregation 33 (1983)

Arrupe suffered a debilitating stroke in August 1981, during his sixteenth year as superior general of the Society of Jesus. Rejecting Arrupe’s preferred replacement, Pope John Paul II appointed Paolo Dezza as the Jesuits’ interim superior until a general congregation could gather to elect Arrupe’s replacement. Greeting the delegates, Arrupe was confined to a wheelchair

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Pope Paul VI to Father General Pedro Arrupe, on General Congregation 32 (1975)

In a letter to Arrupe during General Congregation 32, Pope Paul VI reiterates his desire that “no change can be introduced to the fourth vow” taken by the Jesuits. He continues that the Jesuits’ superior general to encourage “yet deeper reflection on your responsibilities, and on your great potentialities as well as on the dangers

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Decree 4: “Our Mission Today: The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice,” General Congregation 32 (1975)

General Congregation 32 signified a major transition in how the Jesuits understood the connection between their mission and the service of faith and promotion of social justice. That connection was articulated in the congregation’s fourth decree, “Our Mission Today.” “In short,” as the decree’s introduction observes, “our mission today is to preach Jesus Christ and

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Decree 2: “Jesuits Today,” General Congregation 32 (1975)

At the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), Jesuits, as with other Catholics, engaged in new labors and in new contexts. The Council’s decree Perfectae Caritatis encouraged those in a religious order to first know their institute’s “original spirit” so that they might make “the best adjustments…in accordance with the needs of our new

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