General Congregation 35 editer jvdp 1 6/01/2007-6/03/2008 SOCIETATIS IESU
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Chiesa di gesù 7 january 2008 editer jvdp 9
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photographers editer jvdp 14
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Main Outcomes GC35 Election of Fr General Decrees on Identity, Mission - statements for our time about what it is to be Jesuit Relationship with the Pope and Vatican Other Decree on Governance: role of conferences Collaboration: juridical bond Obedience: 4 th vow discussion editer jvdp 21
The Election of a General Arrival in Rome: First Week Opening mass: Cardinal Rodé Saturday 5 January 7 11 January Set up the GC (elect secretary, officials, committee to write de Status Societatis Iesu ) Second Week Murmurationes 14 19 January 15-18 January Saturday 19 January: Mass for Election and Election (217 electors from 110 provinces and regions) editer jvdp 22
Official Photos editer jvdp 23
Adolfo Nicolás 29 April 1936 15 September 1953 1958-1960 1964-1968 17 march 1967 1968-1971 1971 1978-1984 1991-1993 1993-1999 2000-2004 2004-2007 Born in Palencia, Spain Novitiate in Aranjuez (Toledo) Licence in Philosophy (Alcalá, Madrid) Theology Tokyo Ordained priest Doctorate in theology theology of progress (Gregorian) Professor of Theology (Systematics) Sophia University,Tokyo Director Pastoral Institute, Manila Rector Scholasticate (Tokyo) Provincial Japan Work with migrants, Japan Moderator Conference East Asia-Oceania editer jvdp 24
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Weeks 3-9 GC35 Business ( Ad Negotia ) Phase 21 January to 6 March editer jvdp 27
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Overview sessions Short overview of GC 35 Some significant themes in the decrees
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editer jvdp Meetings!!! Of all the 31 74 Delegates from 4
And also from the : 19 Delegates from East Asia and editer jvdp 32 Oceania Assistancy. The 19 th Delegate is the New
editer jvdp 33 20 Delegates from the Assistancy of Africa and Madagaskar
The decrees Six documents Response to Holy Father Identity Mission Obedience Governance Collaboration editer jvdp 35
GC 35 Approves the 6 Decrees in following order: 1. Governance at the Service of Universal Mission, 2. Obedience in the Life of the Society of Jesus, 3. Challenges to our Mission Today: Sent to the Frontiers, 4. A Fire that Kindles Other Fires: Rediscovering our Charisma, 5. Collaboration at the Heart of Mission and 6. "With Renewed Fervor and Dynamism" (a formal response to the letter that Pope Benedict XVI sent to Father General Kolvenbach before the congregation.) editer jvdp 36
GC35 Treated 15 Ordinary Governance Topics Africa Intellectual Apostolate * International Houses in Rome Communications China Ecology/Envir/Globalization* Finances * Formation * Reli-Fundamentalism* Brothers Youth Ministry Migrants-Refugees* Indigenous peoples* Community life Vocations * = ppt present! editer jvdp 37
Decree 1 With greater fervour GC s Response to Pope Benedict To serve the Lord alone and the Church his Spouse under the Roman pontiff
After long talks In workgroups In plenum (Aula) In Assistency meetings In language groups In private talks Public and electronic interventions (also very personal like the following:) editer jvdp 41
Discussing amendments editer jvdp 42
With renewed vigour and zeal The Society of Jesus responds to the invitation of the Holy Father A spiritual experience of consolation in the Lord editer jvdp 46
With renewed vigour and zeal GC calls all Jesuits to live with the great spirit and generosity that is at the centre of our vocation to serve beneath the banner of the Cross..the Lord alone and the Church his spouse, under the Roman pontiff We must be and remain men familiar with the things of God editer jvdp 47
With renewed vigour and zeal Formation: essential to give young Jesuits a human, spiritual, intellectual and ecclesial formation as deep, strong and vibrant as possible We must continually return to the spiritual experience of the Spiritual Exercises editer jvdp 48
With renewed vigour and zeal Intellectual apostolate: We encourage our theologians to carry out their task with courage and intelligence Essential that they live in the Ignatian spirit of feeling with the Church to love and serve the Vicar of Christ..with an effective and affective devotion editer jvdp 49
With renewed vigour and zeal Each Jesuit Called to consider the proper attitude of service in the Church Some of our reactions and attitudes have not always been expressed as our Institute demands of us: to be men quite humble and prudent in Christ (Formula, 9) We call on each Jesuit to help the Pope with a resolutely constructive attitude, to create a spirit of communion so that the Church can make the Gospel of Christ heard editer jvdp 50
The Team That Worked on IDENTITY.! Jim Corkery from Ireland, Hans Zollner from Germany, Benjamin from Cuba, George Pattery from Calcutta and Ntima from C.Africa, with Father General Adolfo Nicolas. editer jvdp 51
DECREE 2: IDENTITY Specifically Jesuit: we and our mission today are sparks from an original flame (hence title: Un Fuego Que Enciende Otros Fuegos ) As with Ignatius, so with all Jesuits: the grace to see God working in the world and to be with Christ in that world as servants of his mission (GC 34) Contemplatives in action : in Him we find the world, in the world we find Him. Polarities (creative tensions) mark a Jesuit s way of being Our mission, rooted in Ignatius s experience, continues today editer jvdp 52
IDENTITY A Life That is Shaped by the Vision of La Storta (here is found the most significant experience for the founding of the Society) The following of Christ bearing his Cross In the Church For the world As an apostolic religious community Community, identity and mission as a kind of tryptich shedding light on SJ companionship editer jvdp 53
IDENTITY To New Frontiers ( Identity and Mission inseparable) editer jvdp 54
IDENTITY New document, because new context How this global context requires that we act as a universal body with a universal mission Globalisation, marginalization, environmental concern The world is our house (Nadal); a stable monastery does not serve us (P. Kolvenbach) Discerning culture and world: new Nations await us (P. Nicolás) and we are sent to them Ever contemplative, ever active editer jvdp 55
The Team That Worked on Mission Decree On February 15th, the deputatio appointed five members to draft a new decree on Mission: Fernando Franco, Fred Kammer, Tomasz Kot, Bienvenido Nebres, editer jvdp and Eugenio 56 Valenzuela.
Challenges to our Decree 3 : Mission Today: Sent to the Frontiers Reaffirming our Mission Rich traditions A New Context Globalising world and ecological awareness Our Mission - Establishing right relationship with God, with others and with creation Our Apostolic Response: Building Right Relationship with God Building Right Relationship with Others Building Right Relationship with Creation editer jvdp 59 Global Preferences:
Global Preferences This congregation emphasizes the importance of structures for apostolic planning, implementation and accountability at all levels of government that are appropriate to carry out our mission today Shift from provincial mission to universal mission and establish global and regional priorities M i s s i o n editer jvdp 60
Global Preferences Global apostolic preferences: Africa, China, intellectual apostolate, inter-provincial institutions in Rome, migrants and refugees Fr. General need to continue to discern the preferences for the Society, to review the above preferences, to update their specific content, and develop plans and programmes that can be monitored and evaluated M i s s i o n editer jvdp 61
The Imperatives Integration for the mission: our personal relationship with the Lord, our relationship to one another, our solidarity with the poor and marginalised, and a life style responsible to creation M i s s i o n editer jvdp 62
Decree 4: Obedience While recent general congregations have touched on themes related to obedience, the last time a general congregation issued a decree on the topic was GC 31 in 1966. Vatican II had just ended, and we had just begun to respond to the council s call to renew our Jesuit life from two sources: scripture and the charism of our founder. That renewal has matured, so the decree on obedience of GC 35 begins with a reflection on what the experience of the First Companions and the scriptures portrayal of Jesus teach us about Jesuit obedience. editer jvdp 63
At the time of GC 31, many were asking how we can ensure that structures which sustain the body of the Society not stifle individual creativity. The terrain has shifted in forty years. Now many are asking how we can ensure that individual efforts are integrated into the mission of the body. The decree suggests that both the account of conscience and renewed structures of community life are essential to achieving balance in that regard. editer jvdp 64
Anyone who looks at the history of the Society will see that we have always understood our role of service in the Church in relation to the papacy. Therefore, the decree goes on to offer some reflections on living our relationship of obedience to the papacy today, especially with regard to our mission in the broadest sense. editer jvdp 65
Before work on the decree began, discussion groups of delegates surfaced some areas of our life of obedience in the Society where they felt a word of advice or reminder was needed. In response, the decree ends with some reflections on obedience in our day to day life directed to Jesuits in formation, formed Jesuits, and superiors. editer jvdp 66
Decree 5 : Governance Decree Two main issues General congregations: need for reform Conferences of Provincials and their powers editer jvdp 67
Governance Decree General Congregations - outcome of GC35 Fr General Mandate to review and change the formula of a General Congregation (number 2, governance decree) and of a Province Congregation (same decree) g oediter v e jvdp r n a n c e 68
Governance Decree Conferences of Provincials - Issues Provinces need to work more together to tackle issues that have an international dimension e.g. secularism, refugees But need to avoid an intermediary level of governance between the General and the Provincials And need to safeguard the link between the account of conscience and missioning of a Jesuit So how do we give more powers to Conferences and Presidents of conferences while avoiding the pitfalls? g oediter v e jvdp r n a n c e 69
Governance Decree Conferences of Provincials - outcome The work of Conferences has been given priority (20, A, a1): all other things being equal, the needs of Conference activities and works have priority over those of individual provinces A conference president does NOT have the power to assign a man without the agreement of the local provincial Fr General is the ultimate appeal if the provincial and conference president cannot work something out (no 20, A, a3) g oediter v e jvdp r n a n c e 70
Collaboration Collaboration at the Heart of Mission editer jvdp 71
Decree 6 Collaboration What are the characteristics of a Jesuit work? What happens when the work is no longer directed by a Jesuit? (Decree 6, no 10, 11) How can Jesuits and their partners be formed in order to go deeper, both in spiritual and practical ways, in the mission they share? What are the ties the Society of Jesus needs to bind with some people, what are the apostolic and spiritual networks that need to be developed at a national or international level in order to have a more fruitful collaboration? editer jvdp 72
Collaboration The first section aims to expand the impulse given by GC34, as our collaboration with others doesn't just refer to lay people, but also to people of other religions; men and women of good will who want to work for a world in which peace and justice will be predominant. editer jvdp 73
Collaboration The second section gives some instructions on how to proceed in collaboration. These instructions refer to three fields in which the enforcement of the decree of the previous General Congregation presented some issues: editer jvdp 74
What are the characteristics of a Jesuit work? What happens when the work is no longer directed by a Jesuit? How can Jesuits and their partners be formed in order to go deeper, both in spiritual and practical ways, in the mission they share? What are the ties the Society of Jesus needs to bind with some people, what are the apostolic and spiritual networks that need to be developed at a national or international level in order to have a more fruitful collaboration? editer jvdp 75
collaboration This decree of GC 35 tried to mobilise Jesuits all over the world, making collaboration with others one of the core dimensions of their way of proceeding. editer jvdp 76
Lord, We Thank You for all the Graces of the GC 35. In return we offer our limited selves, all our companions, our communities, our collaborators and our apostolates for your greater glory and service Go into the world of studies and researches and of religions and cultures! editer jvdp 77
Today, we feel more confirmed that the Holy Spirit and we, the Delegates, have done a good job, electing you as our General. Thank you, Father General, for being our General..! Fr. Rotsaert, Secretary of the GC35. editer jvdp 78