By Michael Amaladoss, S.J
Chennai, May 25, 2020: Father Adolfo Nicolas, a former superior general (2008-2016) of the Society of Jesus, passed away on May 20. Although he was born in Spain in 1936, he came to Japan in 1960 and lived and worked in Asia, but for a brief period of eight years, when he was Superior General of the Society.
His contribution to the Asian Church is very noteworthy. After studying his theology in Tokyo and Rome, he was a professor of theology in Tokyo. Between 1978 and 1984, he was the director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila, Philippines. Later he was provincial of Japan and also the president of the Conference of Provincials of East Asia and Oceania. (East Asia here includes all the Asian countries, east of the Indian subcontinent.)
His contribution to the missionary and pastoral work of the Church in Asia has been great. It is on this theme that I would like to concentrate in the page that follows.
The Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) met in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1974 and described the mission of the Church in Asia as a three-fold dialogue between the Gospel and the Poor, the Cultures and the Religions of Asia. I can say that, in short, Adolfo interiorized this vision and tried his best to realize this vision and train people – priests, religious and the laity – who will realize it.
I think that this mission started when he became the director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila. This Institute attracted people from all over the world who wanted to serve the Church in Asia.
This was the only pastoral institute in Asia which offered a ten-month program focused on Asia. So it attracted priests, male and female religious and the laity who were not keen on rushing to Europe or America, but wanted to reflect on the Asian situation and prepare themselves for working there in Asia.
Most of the lectures were given by people who were either Asians or working in Asia with Asian experience. Many lecturers and students went from India also.
Though we had the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre (NBCLC) in Bangalore, it had only shorter seminars and not long training programs. I went for a seminar on Inculturation in the EAPI in 1979 and after that have lectured on inculturation and inter-religious dialogue there for some years and Adolfo was very supportive.
In this way Adolfo had prepared dozens of pastoral agents who worked all across Asia to build an Asian Church as envisioned by the Second Vatican Council and the FABC. Some of the bishops too would have passed through the EAPI.
The EAPI also ran a review which he edited. It was a forum for Asian theologians reflecting on themes like inculturation, interreligious dialogue and liberation in the Asian context. Besides the work at the EAPI, during the summer vacation, he used to organize shorter seminars in different Asian countries. Since we had the NBCLC in India, he did not come here, but he had been to most other Asian countries.
Adolfo was also a regular expert in the General Assemblies of the FABC, which met every four years and brought out theological-pastoral documents for the Church in Asia.
He was able to continue to inspire, animate and encourage Asian Jesuit pastoral agents as the provincial of the Jesuits in Japan and as the head of all the East Asian provincials. There is no doubt that he encouraged the mission in Asia also when he was superior general of the Society of Jesus. He was a personal friend of Pope Francis and that helped.
When I was pulled up by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for my writings on Asian theology, Adolfo was at my side supporting me when I encountered Cardinal Mueller and I was sure that he had put in a good word about me to Pope Francis, who had a kind word for me when I met him briefly the following morning and who told an Indian Jesuit theologian and the group with him a couple of months later that I was a good theologian.
I will ever remain grateful to Adolfo for this.