Jonathan Rodrigues | Oct 15, 2016, 03:17 IST jonahdream...@gmail.com PANAJI: The 'murmuratio' at the Jesuit Curia in Rome ended with thunderous applause and loud Hispanic cheer as the 36th General Congregation (GC) of the Society of Jesus, on Friday, elected Fr Arturo Sosa Abascal, of the Venezuelan Province, as the 31st superior general of the 476-year-old religious order.
Two hundred and fifteen delegates from 79 Jesuit provinces across 112 countries were witness to this historical event that saw the Society of Jesus elect its first non-European leader. "The mood is ecstatic and joyful. The first thing the new general did was embrace the outgoing general Fr Adolfo Nicolas. All electors then individually greeted him to pay allegiance to his leadership. This is done to build solidarity and celebrate as one group no matter who you voted for," said the sub-secretary of the Society of Jesus, Fr Agnelo Mascarenhas, a Jesuit from Sarzora, South Goa, who was earlier elected as the first assistant secretary to the 36th GC. Speaking to TOI over the phone from Rome, Mascarenhas said, "Being from a country which is going through a struggle, he is very much aware of the plight of migrants and the poor. He has not been to India and Africa, but he is very open to different cultures. I asked him about his plans to visit India and he said, 'No plans yet, but I will take the first opportunity to do so. One of my first trips will be to India.'" At the elections, besides being an elector, Mascarenhas’ role was to engage in the all-important job of counting votes -- which were, this year, cast digitally on a tablet. The Jesuit genreal is often nicknamed the 'Black Pope' because of his black vestments, as contrasted to the white vestments worn by the pontiff of the Catholic Church. Interestingly, both the Pope and the 'Black Pope' are Latin Americans and have known each other for many years as Jesuits provincials, having attended two general congregations together in the past. "His good relations with the Vatican City and Pope Francis will mean we can respond to challenges of the world ever more swiftly," said Fr Rosario Rocha, the provincial of the Goa province, who was the second Goan constituting the 44-member South Asian delegation. "It is a big step forward for the Society of Jesus to have a general from a third world developing country, but this is where Christianity is most vibrant today," said Fr Savio Abreu, director of Xavier Centre for Historical Research, Porvorim. "Having the first general from Latin America is truly special. It is indeed a paradigm shift. The number of Jesuits in Europe is also dwindling and the Church is looking towards other continents. Sosa is man with a vision and deeply religious, and these are exciting times ahead," said Fr Melwin Pinto, a Mangalorean Jesuit, who heads the Indian section of Vatican Radio. Sosa was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 12, 1948. Until Friday, he was counsellor to the former general and the delegate of the general for the international houses and works of the Society of Jesus, in Rome. The South American has a PhD in political sciences from the Universidad Central de Venezuela and speaks Spanish, Italian and English. With a long career dedicated to teaching and research, he was been an influential figure as a former professor and member of the Foundation Council of the Catholic University Andrés Bello, Venezuela, and as the rector of the Catholic University in Táchira, Venezuela. ###