- Peter Hans Kolvenbach
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., S.T.D. (born in
Druten ,30 November ,1928 ), was the 29th Superior General of theSociety of Jesus , the largest religious order of theCatholic Church .Kolvenbach's childhood was spent in
Druten , nearNijmegen in theNetherlands . There, he attended Canisius College for his secondary studies. At Canisius, he concentrated on modern languages. He entered thenovitiate atMariendaal on7 September ,1948 . After completingphilosophy studies at Berchmans Institute in Nijmegen, he was assigned toLebanon , where he completed hisdoctorate in SacredTheology atUniversité de Saint-Joseph inBeirut . Soon after, in 1961, he was ordained apriest in theArmenian Catholic Church , an Eastern-rite church in communion with Rome.The next years of his life were spent in academia, specifically in linguistics. From 1963 to 1976, he taught general and Oriental linguistics at
The Hague ,Paris , and Beirut. Eventually, he was appointed Professor of General Linguistics at Université de Saint-Joseph. He served in that capacity until 1981, when he becamerector of thePontifical Oriental Institute .During his time on the Faculty of Saint-Joseph, he also served as
provincial superior of the Jesuit vice-province of theMiddle East .During the 33rd General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, which was summoned to receive the resignation of Father
Pedro Arrupe owing to ill-health (though the Vatican leadership was concerned about the direction the Society of Jesus was taking), Father Kolvenbach was elected Superior General. His election took place on13 September 1983 .On 2 February 2006, Fr. Kolvenbach informed members of the Society of Jesus that, with the consent of
Pope Benedict XVI , he intended to step down in 2008, the year he will turn 80. The 35thGeneral Congregation of the Society of Jesus convened on5 January 2008 inRome to elect a new superior general, and to decide other important policies for the Jesuit order in the years to come.On
14 January ,2008 , at the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, Kolvenbach's resignation was officially accepted and he became Superior Generalemeritus .While the Jesuit superior general is elected for life, the order's constitutions allow a superior to step down.
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