The Vatican’s investigation into the canonization of Father Arrupe, Pope Francis’ mentor, begins next month

Of Tyler Arnold

Washington, DC Press Room, October 31, 2024 / 2:05 p.m

An investigation into the potential sainthood of a former Jesuit leader and early mentor of Pope Francis will conclude at the diocesan level in mid-November, after which the Vatican can begin considering the next steps toward his possible beatification.

The diocesan tribunal will conclude its investigation into the life, virtues and sanctity of Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ, with a ceremony on November 14 at Rome’s Lateran Palace, the Vatican announced Wednesday.

Cardinal-elect Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, will preside over the ceremony. Members of the tribunal will be present.

The ceremony will take place on what would have been Arrupe’s 117th birthday.

Once the diocesan phase is over, the tribunal’s findings can be considered by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. After reviewing the findings, the dicastery will investigate whether to declare Arrupe “venerable” — a title the pope can bestow on him if he is found to have lived a holy and virtuous life.

If Arrupe is declared “venerable,” the next step would be beatification, which would grant him the title of “blessed.” This presupposes that at least one miracle is attributed to his intercession. For canonization as a “saint”, a second miracle must be confirmed.

Social justice

Servant of God Father Pedro Arrupe Gondra, SJ, was the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, from 1965 to 1983. In the 1970s, he emphasized social justice as one of the main focal points of the Jesuit apostolate. work, a change that was embraced by some and protested by others at the time.

Pope Francis, who was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1969, embraced the focus on social justice under Arrupe. Arrupe has been described as “a kind of model for Pope Francis” by papal biographer Austen Ivereigh.

Ivereigh said that then Father Bergoglio “had a very good and close relationship, and Bergoglio saw him as a spiritual father; admired him enormously and was inspired by him.”

In 1973, Arrupe named Bergoglio Jesuit Provincial of Argentina. Pope Francis spoke of his admiration for Arrupe. Just last month, he told Jesuits in Singapore that they should “always face the challenges presented by society with a spirit of prayer, following the model of Father Pedro Arrupe”. according to Vatican News.

Arrupe was born in the Basque county of Spain in 1907 and entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1927 after completing medical studies in Madrid. After his formation, the order sent him to Japan to work as a missionary. He became a novice master in 1942 while stationed in Japan.

His missionary work in Japan coincided with World War II. When the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, Arrupe lived near the city. The weapon devastated the city, killing more than 100,000 people and injuring tens of thousands more.

To help the population, Arrupe helped turn the novitiate into a field hospital and used his medical training to help wounded people.

Arrupe became the superior general of the Society of Jesus in 1965 and oversaw the Jesuits during the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which ended in December of that year.

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At the 32nd General Congregation of the Jesuits in 1974–1975, he supported a series of decrees that reformed the Jesuits, one of which focused on the promotion of social justice and was entitled “Our Mission Today: Serving the Faith and promoting justice. “

He founded the Jesuit Refugee Service in 1980, which continues to provide services to refugees.

Arrupe’s leadership was not without controversy. In 1973, Pope Paul VI warned Arrupe about Jesuit experimentation. In 1979, Pope John Paul II claimed the Jesuit leadership “causes confusion among the Christian people and anxieties to the Church and also to the Pope personally.”

The Pope specifically criticized “secularizing tendencies” and “doctrinal unorthodoxy” within the Jesuits. Later, Arrupe reprimanded some of the priests about whom John Paul II had concerns.

Arrupe suffered a heart attack in the summer of 1981 and eventually relinquished his role as senior general in 1983 after developing paralysis and loss of speech from the heart attack. He died in 1991.

Arrupe’s cause for sainthood began in February 2019.

Tyler Arnold is a staff reporter for the Catholic News Agency based in EWTN News’ Washington Bureau. He previously worked at The Center Square and has been published in a variety of publications, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative and The Federalist.