Hospitality Day: a message from father general Arturo Sosa SJ

Superior General Arturo Sosa, S.J. Honors 45 Years of Jesuit Refugee Ser...

Fr General Arturo Sosa urges Jesuits to respond to global suffering

25 December 2025

By Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific

Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ with Fr Johan Verschueren SJ at Bethlehem University

Following his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Fr General Arturo Sosa has released a letter calling on Jesuits and lay companions worldwide to confront pervasive human anguish with compassion and action.​

In his letter titled “How will the faithful respond to suffering?” released on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fr General Sosa describes a “normal abnormal life” marked by conflict and displacement in regions including Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, Myanmar, Haiti, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He shares encounters with Palestinians and Israelis enduring loss, oppression, and dehumanisation, where empathy risks being politicised.​

Faith and Justice: Fr Jeyaraj brings together over 130 years of Jesuit involvement in social justice

30 Oct 2025

When Fr Xavier Jeyaraj, the former Secretary for Social Justice and Ecology, set out to compile a volume that detailed the commitment of the Society of Jesus to social justice, his aim was simple: gather some key documents that showed how the Jesuits responded to the struggles of the world. This idea, which sprouted during the 2019 jubilee of the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES) at the General Curia, has now taken the shape of a two-volume, over-1500-page collection – the most complete record of how the Jesuits have been involved in social justice since 1891.

The volumes are titled A Journey of Faith Promoting Justice (1891-2024). Volume one brings together relevant Complementary Norms of the Constitutions of the Society from 1996 where references to social apostolate were formally included. Alongside these are the Decrees of various General Congregations of the Society of Jesus.

Also included in volume one are letters from Superior Generals of the Society that are relevant to social justice, beginning with Wlodimir Ledóchowski and continuing through Arturo Sosa. Some of these texts were previously available only in Latin, and about 20 of them have now been translated into English for the first time, thanks to Alex Dewitt, a Jesuit scholastic from Canada, and many others acknowledged in the volume who helped in translating from other languages.

Reflective comments on Fr General's Speech - IAJU 2025 Assembly

 
Reflective comments on Fr General's Speech - IAJU 2025 Assembly

International Association of Jesuit Universities

Sep 29, 2025

In response to the powerful address delivered by Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, titled “The Jesuit University: Witness to Hope, Creative and Dialogical Presence,” the opening plenary of the 2025 International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) Assembly gathered institutional leaders to reflect and discern concrete paths forward.

Press Conference: Fr. General Arturo Sosa on the passing of Pope Francis

Arturo Sosa: The Black Pope, the Reigning White Pope and Vatican State

Jesuit leaders will meet in Rome in October for the third time in history

MAGIS 2023 | Who we are! Creators of a hope-filled future

Jesuit Black Pope Talks About COVID-19

Father Sosa ‘dreams’ of a Society of Jesus that ‘builds a future full of hope’

Gerard O’Connell

December 05, 2019



Jesuit Father Arturo Sosa Abascal (CNS photo/Paul Haring)


“We Jesuits are people of hope; we believe another world is possible,” Arturo Sosa, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus, told journalists at an end-of-year reception at the Jesuit Curia in Rome on Dec. 4.

Greeting some 20 reporters in the Arrupe Hall of the Jesuit Curia, Father Sosa reflected on what the Jesuits have been doing over the past year and the significance of the mission Pope Francis has given to the Society when he confirmed the four universal apostolic preferences that are to permeate and inspire the work of Jesuits worldwide over the next 10 years.

The Venezuelan-born head of the Jesuits said that in his travels on all continents he has witnessed “the existence of so much frustration among so many people” in the face of “the inequality and poverty” in today’s world, together with “the forced movement of persons” who are either displaced in their home countries or forced to be refugees and “the difficulty” so many people have “to live in freedom and democracy.”

Father Sosa said the Society of Jesus will also seek to respond to “the concrete requests of Pope Francis” in support of his work for the renewal of the church and its structures.
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Pope visits Jesuit headquarters

The General Curia of the Jesuits in Rome. 

 
POPE

The Vatican Press Office has said that Pope Francis paid a private visit to the General Curia of the Jesuits in Rome on Sunday.

Pope Francis paid a private visit to the worldwide headquarters of the Jesuits in Rome on Sunday, July 7.

Responding to questions from journalists, the “ad interim” Director of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, released a statement on Monday, confirming the visit.

“I can confirm that yesterday the Holy Father went for a private visit to the General Curia of the Jesuits where he dined with the Superior General, Father Arturo Sosa, and with his brothers of the Society of Jesus.”

He explained that the Jesuit Pontiff has already privately visited the General Curia and his brother Jesuits in past years in the run-up to the July 31 Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Society of Jesus along with six companions in the 16th century.


08 July 2019, 16:56

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Summary of Jesuit Superior General's visit to West Africa from 17 to 21 April 2019

Following in Father Arturo Sosa’s footsteps in Homs and Beirut

WITNESS - Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ - Superior General of the Society of Jesus

WITNESS - Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ - Superior General of the Society of Jesus

Salt and Light 

Published on May 25, 2018

Father Arturo Sosa Ascobal, SJ, is the thirty-first Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and its first non-European leader. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Fr. Sosa entered the Society of Jesus in 1966 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1977. He obtained a licentiate in philosophy from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in 1972 and later obtained a doctorate in Political Science from Università Centrale del Venezuela in 1990.

Between 1996 and 2004, Fr. Sosa was provincial superior of the Jesuits in Venezuela. Before that, he was the province coordinator for the social apostolate and director of the Gumilla Social Centre, a research and social action centre of the Venezuelan Jesuits.

In 2008, Father General Adolfo Nicolás appointed Fr. Sosa as General Counsellor while Sosa continued his work in Venezuela. In 2014, Father Sosa joined the General Curia community in Rome and took on the role of Delegate for Interprovincial Roman Houses of the Society of Jesus in Rome, which include: the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Vatican Observatory, Civiltà Cattolica, as well as international Jesuit colleges in Rome.

Fr. Sosa has dedicated his life to research and teaching in the field of political science in various centres and institutions, including as the Chair of Contemporary Political Theory in the Department of Social Change at the Universidad Central De Venezuela, member of the Council of the Andrés Bello Catholic Foundation, and Rector of the Catholic University of Tachira.

This exclusive WITNESS interview took place in the Salt and Light Broadcast Centre on Saturday, May 19, 2018 during Fr. Sosa's visit to the Jesuit communities throughout Canada. 

Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J. | Conversations with America

Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J. | Conversations with America

America Magazine - The Jesuit Review 

Published on May 31, 2018

Father Arturo Sosa, S.J., the superior General of the Society of Jesus, joined Father Sam Sawyer, executive editor of America Media for an interview about the opportunities and challenges currently facing the Society.

Father General Arturo Sosa announces the creation of Jesuit Province of Canada

Superior General of SJ visits St Aloysius institutions

DH News Service, Mangaluru Mar 1 2018, 23:10 IST




Superior General of Society of Jesus Rev Fr Arturo Sosa visited St Aloysius College on his tour to coastal city of Mangaluru, here on Thursday.

Addressing the staffers and alumni, Rev Fr Dr Arturo Sosa stressed on the need to focus on three types of reconciliation, namely reconciliation of humans, reconciliation of nature and reconciliation of God.

"We need to make our roots stronger by excluding violence and hatred," he said and added that biological sensitivity and sustainable development is a important orientation.

He also touched upon several other topics, such as education, sense of collaboration and practicality of life. Rev Fr Sosa was greeted according to the Indian tradition with a garland, tender coconut and cultural procession.

Later, the students of St Aloysius Institutions rendered an array of coastal folk art performances and dances. His delegation included Provincial of the Karnataka Jesuits Rev Fr Stanislaus D'Souza, Regional Assistant (South Asia) Fr Lisbert D'Souza and priests from Rome.

Fr Sosa was joined by Rector of Aloysius institutions Fr Dionysius Vas SJ, College Principal Fr Praveen Martis for a formal function. Rev Fr Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal SJ, a native of Venezuela and a doctorate in political science from the Venezuela university, is the 31st and present Superior General of the Society of Jesus, the largest male religious institute in the Roman Catholic Church.

In fact, he was the first Latin American person to lead the Society of Jesus, founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in 1534. Fr Arturo was elected Superior General on October 14, 2016.

There are 18 Jesuit provinces in India with over 4,000 priests offering their services in various fields.

He arrived at Mangaluru from Sri Lanka and will be leaving for Rome on Friday morning.

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Jesuits to give a 'Sri Lankan face' to reconciliation

Children's education must be a priority to help war-torn nation heal

Relatives of Tamils who disappeared toward the end of Sri Lanka's protracted civil war stage a protest in the capital Colombo demanding justice in this file photo. (ucanews.com photo)

ucanews.com reporter, Colombo
Sri Lanka

February 27, 2018


Helping a fractured and war-ravaged nation piece itself back together through reconciliation has become a top priority for priests serving the Society of Jesus (SJ) in Sri Lanka.

As part of that, making sure children who live in some of the worst hit areas receive a proper education is crucial to reviving and unifying the country after three decades of violent conflict, they say.

Sri Lanka's bloody 30-year civil war drew to a close in 2009 but nine years on the country still faces a raft of challenges as many parties wait for justice to be served amid allegations of known war criminals going unpunished.

As such, the theme of reconciliation emerged as a key topic at the Feb. 17-21 Jesuit Conference of South Asia.

Notables attending the conference included Father Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal, the Superior-General of the Society of Jesus.

Addressing a congregation featuring 100 priests at the Jesuit Retreat House at Lewella in Kandy on Feb. 18, Father Sosa said there was no official report confirming how many had lost their lives in the last phase of the civil war. But figures supplied by the United Nations estimate that at least 40,000 civilians were killed in the final days of the war alone.

"The killing of ordinary people has to be condemned. There should be justice," Father Sosa said, reminding Sri Lankan Jesuits to get involved rather than staying silent on vital issues.




Father Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal, Superior-General of the Society of Jesus, attends the Jesuit Conference of South Asia in mid-February at the Jesuit Retreat House, Lewella, Kandy. (ucanews.com photo)