Jesuit superior to step down, calls 2008 meeting to elect successor

Published: 2006-02-03

ROME (CNS) -- The superior general of the Jesuits, Dutch Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, has informed members of the society that he intends to step down in 2008, the year he will turn 80. In a Feb. 2 letter addressed to all members of the Society of Jesus, Father Kolvenbach said a general congregation to elect his successor and to discuss other important matters would begin Jan. 5, 2008, in Rome. Each of the 91 Jesuit provinces in the world will hold a provincial congregation by March 1, 2007, to prepare for the Rome gathering. While the Jesuit superior general is elected for life, the order's constitutions allow a superior to step down. Catholic News Service in Rome obtained a copy of Father Kolvenbach's letter in Italian; each Jesuit provincial is charged with ensuring that every member of the Jesuits receive a copy.

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