10 June 2021
Bilbao Campus
After more than a year of inactivity due to the impossibility of holding face-to-face conferences because of the coronavirus, DeustoForum resumed its activities on 10 June with a meeting with journalist Darío Menor, correspondent in Rome and the Vatican for various media such as El Correo and Vida Nueva, which was also attended by journalist Silvia Rozas. In it he spoke about his book "En camino con Ignacio", a work that brings together his conversations with the Father General of the Jesuits, Arturo Sosa, SJ, and which has already been translated into 11 languages.
This meeting was an opportunity to reflect on a work of reflection on today's world, on the Church and on the Society of Jesus, made possible by the great work of the journalist, as Father General points out in the introduction to the work: "His stimulating questions, his patient listening, his professionalism in capturing the sense of my reflections and putting them down on paper have been the key to this result".
The event was held in person for a limited number of attendees in the Auditorium at the University of Deusto in Bilbao but it could also be followed online.
Darío Menor explained the details of how the book came about, how the interviews with Fr General went (24 hours in 12 interview sessions) and also how they have transformed him and made him want to be a less self-centred person and more directed towards others. He thanked several Jesuits in the curia for having been able to interview a person of the stature of the Jesuit Father General in a relaxed manner, without the rush of today's media.
In the words of the author, the book covers the four apostolic preferences of the Society and allows us to gain an insight into the person of Arturo Sosa. He highlighted several aspects of the insights he has gained about the Society through this work, such as creativity, Jesuits' versatility - trained to be in popular schools such as Faith and Joy, in universities at the highest level, in parishes on the outskirts or with refugees in Bangladesh -, their work in leadership and the widespread presence of the Society. In this regard, he highlighted the large amount of global information that reaches Fr. General and allows him to reflect on the world based on this knowledge.
He praised Arturo Sosa's conception of politics, his positive view of the "descritianisation" of the world, his denunciation of clericalism and his defence of synodality.
In the second part of his intervention at the Deusto Forum, in dialogue with Silvia Rozas, Daughter of Jesus and director of ECCLESIA, the journalist Darío Menor spoke about his experience as a Vatican communicator and in more detail about his visit to Pope Francis, together with Father General, to present him with the book.
DeustoForum after the pandemic
The health situation has not been conducive to holding DeustoForum events, as has been the case throughout its more than 30 years of existence. However, the current good prospects for the evolution of the pandemic encourage the team to gradually resume activity, always ensuring compliance with the relevant prevention measures. We hope this event will mark the start of a new season, which will continue after the summer if the situation permits, and that we will have the opportunity to have the public present at its events once again.
