Rome, Italy, Mar 17, 2011 / 10:30 am
The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Spanish priest Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, recently sent a letter to Jesuits worldwide, announcing a revision to the order's General Curia.
In his letter, Fr. Nicolas explained that the decision was made after he received “a series of guidelines” from delegates who attended the Jesuits’ 35th General Congregation, held in 2008.
The changes will focus mainly on the “restructuring the secretariats based at the (Jesuit) Curia,” he wrote. He also announced the addition of three principle secretaries “whose concerns and responsibilities will respond to important dimensions of our mission that should be present in all apostolic sectors.” The superior general added that this includes, “the service of faith, the promotion of justice, and collaboration with others.”
In addition, a secretary will be added “for secondary and basic education, higher education and the intellectual apostolate.”
Fr. Nicolas likewise announced the formation of “a small commission within the general council to discuss, discern, and propose matters related to our common mission,” comprised of the three core secretaries, two general councilors and the father general.
“In order to help me regularly reflect on and understand more deeply different realities concerning our mission, I have formed a group based here in Rome that I have called the "Gregorian Reflection Group" (because we meet in the Gregorian University),” Fr. Nicolas also revealed.
The six members of the group are professors in different fields from the university: Frs. Giovanni Cucci, José Funes, Michael Paul Gallagher, Daniel McDonald, Theoneste Nkeramihigo, and Hans Zollner.