On November 14, 2024, the investigation into the cause for the canonization of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, will officially come to an end in Rome, at the diocesan level. This marks the culmination of many years of hard work and assiduous research into the life and ministry of this “Servant of God,” now a candidate for canonization. But who is Pedro Arrupe and what is his importance for the Church?
Born in Bilbao, Spain, on 14 November 1907, Pedro Arrupe became the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus and one of the most notable Jesuits of the 20th century. An enthusiastic student with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Arrupe studied medicine before his spiritual experience moved him, in 1927, to enter the Society of Jesus.
In 1938, Arrupe was sent to Japan, where he witnessed the horrors of World War II first-hand. He was ministering in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when the city was destroyed by the atomic bomb. On that occasion, Arrupe used his medical training to treat the victims of the bombing among the ruins of the city. This experience would change him forever and give rise to a General known above all as a promoter of peace, justice, and compassion in the face of suffering. In 1958, Arrupe was named the first Provincial of the Jesuits in Japan, where he would continue to serve others until his election as Superior General of the Society of Jesus on May 22, 1965.
Less than seven months later, on December 8, 1965, the Second Vatican Council ended, and Father General Pedro Arrupe had the opportunity to put into practice the experience of his 27 years in Japan – providential and blessed, if tumultuous and difficult years – and lead the Society through the changes that the Council had brought about. Father Arrupe built his leadership on a “faith that creates justice” while urging the Society to engage closely with the poor and marginalized, not only academically, but practically, working among the very social groups he had sent the Society to serve. Under Arrupe, Jesuits were encouraged to engage in sociopolitical discourse, to work on educational and social care projects, to advocate for human rights and social justice, and to look beyond their own small patch of the world. But, even though he was the one who led the Company in the midst of the changes of Vatican II towards modernity, he continued to be a simple, prayerful, obedient, and humble servant of the Church.
On August 7, 1981, Arrupe suffered a stroke while returning to Rome after a visit to the Philippines. The stroke left him partially paralyzed and almost mute. In 1983, he became the first Superior General of the Society of Jesus to resign, and he died on February 5, 1991.
The echo of his legacy resonates throughout the world. From the creation of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) to his mantra of a “faith that creates justice” and his preferential option for the poor, Arrupe’s mark on the Society around the world and on the Church itself can still be heard today. His life is an example not only of service and compassion but of humility and profound faith in the face of the needs of the People of God.
