By: A. Elango .
Indian Jesuits mourned the death of their former Superior General Peter – Hans Kolvenbach.
Fr. Kolvenbach was elected as Superior General of the Society of Jesuits on September 13, 1983 and stepped down as General on January 14, 2008. He died at the age of 87 on November 26, after a brief hospitalization.
Born on November 30, 1928, Fr. Kolvenbach was the third longest serving Superior General of the 465 year old Jesuit order.
During his long generalate, he ‘participated in many synods of bishops.
He was a member of the congregations for the Evangelizations of peoples, Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated life and consulter for the Congregation for Oriental Churches, according to an obituary note, issued by the Jesuit Headquarter, Rome.
South Asia was very close to the heart of former Superior General, said Jesuit Father George Pattery who heads the Jesuit Conference of South Asia. Father Pattery described his former superior General for his significant contributions to South Asia.
His Jesuit companions remember their departed general for his knowledge, memory and scholarly writings and talks.
After the generalship , Fr. Kolvenbach returned to the Near East Province and continued working on various themes related to his specialization in Aremenian language and literature.
Jesuit conference of South Asia dedicated a library in honour of their former General in 2013 at Chennai where the conference runs Satyanilayam, a center for Philosphy. The library is named after Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach.
“Thank you for putting my complicated name to the library”, Fr. Kolvenbach wrote to Jesuit Father M.V.Amalanathan, who headed the Satyanilayam in 2013.
Speaking to Matters India, the former rector Fr. Amalanathan said that his former general always encouraged young Jesuits through his visits and talks.
Pope Francis expressed his deepest condolences to the entire Jesuit family on the passing away of Father Kolvenbach.
The Pope remembered Fr. Kolvenbach’s total fidelity to Christ and his Gospel, together with his generous commitment to exercise his particular office for the good of the Church.
The funeral mass for Fr. Kolvenbach will be held in Beirut this Wednesday. Father General Arturo Sosa will lead the funeral service.
A memorial mass will be held at the Church of Gesu in Rome on Friday, 2 December, writes Jesuit Father Ignacio Echarte, the Secretary of the Society of Jesus to all Jesuits in the world. His note reminds his fellow Jesuits that one mass is to be celebrated by all for one who was a Superior General.