{"id":23184,"date":"2013-08-15T15:38:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-15T19:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2013\/08\/letter_of_father_general_pedro\/"},"modified":"2013-08-16T07:30:27","modified_gmt":"2013-08-16T11:30:27","slug":"letter-of-father-general-pedro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2013\/08\/letter-of-father-general-pedro\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter of Father Pedro Arrupe on Humanae vitae"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Today is the 45th anniversary of the Servant of God Father Pedro Arrupe’s letter to the Society of Jesus on the Servant of God Pope Paul VI’s teaching,\u00a0<\/i>Humanae vitae. This is the first time I’ve seen this letter and it portrays the Jesuit’s in a different light, one that is unexpected and consistent with what we know to be the mind of Saint Ignatius and the Church. Without a doubt, Father Arrupe wrote a beautiful letter, too bad it was buried for so long.<\/i><\/p>\n

Epistula A.R.P.N. Generalis\u00a0ad omnem Societatem occasione Litterarum Encyclicarum “Humanae\u00a0vitae.” Acta Romana Societatis Iesu.\u00a0 Vol. XV, Fasc. II, anno 1968<\/p>\n

Dear\u00a0Fathers and Brothers,\u00a0 Pax Christi<\/p>\n

We are all aware of the response given\u00a0to the most recent encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Humanae vitae<\/i>, about the\u00a0problems raised by the question of contraception.\u00a0 While manycompletely\u00a0accept the teaching of the encyclical, a number of the clergy, religious and\u00a0laity violently reject it in a way that no one in the Society can think of\u00a0sharing<\/b>.\u00a0 Yet, because the opposition to the encyclical has become\u00a0widespread in some places, I wish to delay no longer before calling to mind\u00a0once more our duty as Jesuits. With regard to the successor of Peter, the only\u00a0response for us is an attitude of obedience which is at once loving, firm, open\u00a0and truly creative<\/b>.\u00a0 I do not say that this is necessarily painless and\u00a0easy.<\/p>\n

In fact, on various grounds and because of particular competence, some of us may experience certain reservations and difficulties.\u00a0 A sincere desire to be truly loyal does not rule out problems, as the Pope himself says.\u00a0 A teaching such as the one he presents merits assent not simply because of the reasons he offers, but also, and above all, because of the charism which enables him to present it.\u00a0 Guided by the authentic word of the Pope- a word that need not be infallible to be highly respected – every Jesuit owes it to himself, by reason of his vocation, to do everything possible to penetrate, and to help others penetrate, into the thought which may not have been his own\u00a0previously; however, as he goes beyond the evidence available to him\u00a0personally, he finds or will find a solid foundation for it.<\/p>\n

To obey, therefore,\u00a0is not to stop thinking, to parrot the encyclical word for word in a servile manner.\u00a0\u00a0On the contrary, it is to\u00a0commit oneself to study\u00a0it as profoundly as possible so as to discover for one self and to show others the meaning of an intervention judged necessary by the Holy Father.<\/p>\n

Once we have correctly grasped the meaning of the encyclical, let us not remain passive.\u00a0 Let us not be afraid to rectify our teaching, if need be, while at the same time explaining why we are doing so.\u00a0 Let us develop our teaching as profoundly as possible rather than restrict it.\u00a0 Let is strive for a better pastoral theology of the family and of the young people.\u00a0\u00a0We must not forget\u00a0that our present world, for all its amazing scientific conquests, is sadly lacking a true sense of God and is in danger of deceiving itself completely.\u00a0 We must see what is demanded of us as Jesuits.\u00a0 Let us collaborate with others in centers of the basic research on man, where the specific data of Christian revelation can be brought together with the genuine achievements of the human sciences and thus achieve the happy results that can be legitimately anticipated.\u00a0 In all this work of sympathy, intelligence, and love, let us always be enlightened by the Gospel and by the living tradition of the Church.\u00a0 Let us never abandon the papal teaching we have just received.\u00a0 Rather,\u00a0we must continually seek to integrate it into an ever-widening anthropology.\u00a0 The present crisis makes clear this urgent need.<\/p>\n

In so fulfilling\u00a0our mission as Jesuits<\/b>, which\u00a0is to make the thought of the Church understood and loved<\/b>, we can help the laity, who themselves have much to bring to the problems touched on in the encyclical, and who rely on us for a deep understanding of their points of view. [“atque nostram expectant cooperationem pro intimiore penetratione magisterii Pauli VI.”]<\/p>\n

You understand well that it is the spirit of the Constitutions which inspires me as I write these words.\u00a0 For, as the Constitutions tell us in substance, each member of the Society must remember that his personal manner of serving God is realized through a faithful obedience to the Roman pontiff.\u00a0 That is why\u00a0I am certain that today too, the Society is able to show itself worthy of four centuries of\u00a0complete fidelity to the Holy See.<\/p>\n

It certainly cannot be said that the Second Vatican Council has changed all this.\u00a0 The Council itself speaks formally of “this religious submission of will and of mind,” which “must be shown in a special way to the authentic teaching authority of the Roman pontiff, even when he is not speaking\u00a0ex cathedra<\/i>.\u00a0 That is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence and the judgments made by him sincerely adhered to according to his manifest mind and will” (Lumen Gentium<\/i>, n.25).<\/p>\n

Nor can it be said that the Pope was speaking of matters that do not involve our faith, since the\u00a0essence of his teaching directly concerns the human and divine dignity of man and of love.\u00a0 In the enormous crisis of growth which envelops the whole world, the Pope himself has been what the entire Church must be, and Vatican II affirmed, “both\u00a0a sign and a safeguard<\/b>\u00a0of the transcendence of the human person” (Gaudium et Spes<\/i>, n.76).\u00a0 For this reason the service we as Jesuits owe to the Holy Father and to the Church is at the same time a service we owe to humanity itself.<\/p>\n

In my awareness of our obvious duty as Jesuits I could say much more, particularly at this time which seems to me crucial for the Church.\u00a0Difficult times are times made for the Society,\u00a0not to seek its own glory<\/b>, but to show its fidelity.\u00a0 This is why I am certain that all of you will understand my words.\u00a0 As for those for whom the encyclical presents\u00a0 personal problems of conscience, I wish to assure them that for that very reason I am keeping them in my affection and prayers.<\/p>\n

May St. Ignatius help each of us to become, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, more Ignatian than ever.\u00a0 May he obtain for us the understanding that our legitimate desire to be totally present to this world demands of us an ever-increasing fidelity in the service of the Church, the Spouse of Christ and the Mother of all mankind.<\/p>\n

I commend myself to the prayers of all of you.<\/p>\n

Rome, 15 August 1968.
\nMost devotedly in Christ,<\/p>\n

Pedro Arrupe
\nPraep. Gen. Soc. Iesu.<\/p>\n

[This English translation was transcribed by Fr. Joseph Carola, S.J., from the article “Father Arrupe: ‘Think with the church’,” which appeared in the National Catholic Reporter, September 18th, 1968, p. 7]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today is the 45th anniversary of the Servant of God Father Pedro Arrupe’s letter to the Society of Jesus on the Servant of God Pope Paul VI’s teaching,\u00a0Humanae vitae. This is the first time I’ve seen this letter and it portrays the Jesuit’s in a different light, one that is unexpected and consistent with what … Continue reading Letter of Father Pedro Arrupe on Humanae vitae<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,6],"tags":[1698,2342,32083],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23184"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28188,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23184\/revisions\/28188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}