Fr Arturo Sosa-Superior General of Jesuits in Rome visiting ‘Rome of the East’ on 1 March

Fr Arturo Sosa-Superior General of Jesuits in Rome visiting ‘Rome of the East’ on 1 March

Fr Arturo Sosa-the Superior General of Jesuits in Rome visiting Mangaluru (‘Rome of the East’) on 1 March, where he will address the staff, the Alumni and collaborators of St Aloysius Institutions-Mangaluru on Thursday, at 3 pm

Mangaluru: Fr Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal SJ, the thirty-first and present Superior General of the Society of Jesus, the largest male religious institute in the Roman Catholic Church, which also manages St Aloysius Institutions-Mangaluru will be visiting the “Rome of the East” (Mangaluru) from Rome, the Headquarters of Jesuit Congregation, on Thursday 1 March 2018. As a Venezuelan, he was the first Latin American person to lead the Society of Jesus. He was elected Superior General of over seventeen thousand Jesuits across the world by the Society’s 36th General Congregation on 14 October 2016, succeeding Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, S.J., who served as Superior General for eight years. It is learnt that this is Fr Sosa’s first visit to Mangaluru.

Among his other programmes, Fr Sosa will address the staff, the Alumni and collaborators of St Aloysius Institutions on Thursday, March 1 at 3 pm. Speaking to Team mangalorean, Fr Dionysius Vaz- Rector of St Aloysius Institutions said, ” The visit of Fr Sosa is primarily to help him get a firsthand experience of the functioning of Jesuit educational institutions in Karnataka. This visit was first and historic. Jesuits are involved in higher education in different parts of the world. This visit will be a boost for us Jesuits for greater collaboration and networking. We are all anxiously waiting for his gracious presence here at our Jesuit institutions”.

For More Contact: Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ – 9741544347 (Rector), Fr Praveen Martis SJ -9901483231 Principal-St Aloysius College (Autonomous).

About Fr Arturo Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal SJ:

Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on 12 November 1948. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1966 and was ordained to the priesthood on 30 July 1977. He earned a licentiate in philosophy from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (1972) and a doctorate in political science from the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Arturo Sosa had a long career in teaching and research, and has held a number of positions in the university environment. He was a professor and member of the Foundation Council of the Andrés Bello Catholic University and for 10 years the rector of the Catholic University of Tachira, both Jesuit universities. He did most of his research and teaching in the area of political science, in a number of centres and institutions. He published a number of works, mainly about the history and politics of Venezuela.

Between 1996 and 2004, Sosa was Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in Venezuela. Before that he was coordinator of the social apostolate in that country and director of Centro Gumilla in Venezuela, a Jesuit centre of research and social action. In 2004, he lectured at the Georgetown University Center for Latin American Studies, Washington, DC, and was professor of Venezuelan political thinking at the Catholic University of Táchira.

During the 35th General Congregation in 2008, he was chosen Counselor General by Father General Adolfo Nicolás. In 2014, he joined the curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome as Delegate for the Curia for the Inter-provincial Houses and Works of the Society of Jesus in Rome. These institutions are directly under the Superior General of the Jesuits. Among them are the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and the Vatican Observatory, as well as a number of international colleges and residences. Sosa speaks Spanish, Italian, English, and understands French.

The thirty-sixth General Congregation of the Society of Jesus elected Sosa as the Order’s thirty-first Superior General on 14 October 2016 to succeed Adolfo Nicolás. He became the first Latin American to head the Jesuits. As is the custom, Pope Francis was notified of his election before it was announced to the public.