Pedro Arrupe
Born: November 14, 1907
Died: February 5, 1991
Don Pedro, as he was affectionately known, was a faithful Christian, a prayerful Jesuit, and a holy priest. And he was funny. When two young American Jesuits passed through Rome en route to India, Arrupe laughed, “It certainly costs us a lot of money to teach our men about the poor!”
Arrupe was best known for his initiatives on behalf of the poor, urging the Society of Jesus to promote what became known as the “faith that does justice.” In response to the Second Vatican Council’s call for religious orders to return to the vision of their founders, Arrupe sent Jesuits to work among the poor in Latin American favelas (shanty towns), American inner cities, and the teeming slums of India. In 1980 he founded the Jesuit Refugee Service using simple logic: There are refugees everywhere and there are Jesuits everywhere, he reasoned. Why not bring them together?
He also knew that this work would exact a price. Are we ready, he asked the Jesuits, “to take up this responsibility and to carry it out to its ultimate consequence?” Many Jesuits have been martyred because of their work with the poor.
More about Pedro Arrupe:
Jesuit Pedro Arrupe’s love for Christ crossed borders
Pedro Arrupe, S.J. was a constant advocate for the poor all over the world.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
