Jesuits meet in Rome to elect superior, plan future
ROME (AP) — The Jesuits, one of the world's largest Roman Catholic religious orders, are meeting in Rome to elect a new leader and chart a future amid a decline in their numbers and lingering tensions in their relationship with the Vatican.
The Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, who was elected superior general in 1983, officially resigned Monday. On Tuesday, the more than 200 delegates attending the Jesuits' 35th general congregation began four days of "murmuratio," or murmuring: private discussions on who might replace him, with a first vote expected Saturday.
No one is supposed to campaign for the job, but a few candidates have been mentioned, including some from the developing world and others with Vatican or broad international experience....