Madrid, Spain, Jan 23, 2008 / 00:08 am
In an article written for the Spanish daily “La Verdad” in the city of Murcia, Fr. Juan Masia, SJ, who worked in Japan with the newly elected Jesuit superior general, offered a personal profile of Fr. Adolfo Nicolas.
Masia points out in his article that the election of Father Nicolas as superior general of the Jesuits “was foreseen years ago and it is no surprise to many Jesuits.”
“With the news of the election I received flood of emails asking for information about him. I have been silent for an entire day; I did not want to endanger him with enthusiastic praise that would stir up the anger of those who sit waiting with a shotgun to fire against hope from the tower of fanatics. But tonight, I have made a decision,” Father Masia said.
Writing from Japan, he stressed that the “news of the election of Father Nicolas, who for years was seen as a future superior general, has given great joy to the Society and was no surprise to those who awaited it and desired it for a long time. When Father Arrupe wanted to retire for reasons of age, before he became ill, there was already talk of Father Nicolas as a possible successor: open, but balanced; prophetic, but obedient; bold, but discerning.”