February 12, 2008

Those who had the opportunity to read Étienne Grieu's francophone blog, a few days ago, could get a good idea of the process used by the Society of Jesus to choose superiors or other people with special responsibilities.

In summary, we can say that a double movement, one from above and one from below, is involved. Jesuits send to the authorities of the Soci-ety (usually Fr. General) a « terna », i.e. the names of three Jesuits who could serve in a spe-cific function. With his counsellors, the superior, taking advantage of his broader knowledge of the needs of the Society, makes his choice among the suggestions he has received.

It is this kind of process that led to the choice of the Assistants – more precisely the “Re-gional Assistants” – of the General. Each one of the ten “Assistancies » (the geographical gathering of Provinces), after prayer and sharing about possible candidates, sent three names to Father General. Father Nicolás then took a few days of prayer and reflection and announced which (Regional) Assistants will be his first and main advisers over the next few years.

What will be the « job » of these ten Jesuits, who will normally be based at the General Curia, in Rome? Their first responsibility is evidently to give advice. The General of the Jesuits doesn’t run the show by himself: his work involves a steady dialogue with these ten Jesuits who are in daily contact with what is happening in the part of the world where they come from. The Assistants also contribute with their experience and skills to Jesuit projects that have an international dimension as well as to the global orientations of the Society.

A few days after the nomination by Father General of the ten Regional Assistants we just talked about, the General Congregation will elect four Assistants “ad providentiam”. What is this, now? This step is the concrete expression of the care the Congregation has, as the su-preme authority of the religious order, for the well-being of its Superior General but also for the carrying on of the objectives that it will have determined during the Congregation. These four Assistants will have the special task to be to the General those who will help him re-member the decisions, the choices, the desires expressed during the Congregation. They must also make sure that the General still has the needed capacities to continue to govern.

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