Superior General elected for life with the possibility of resigning

Abstract

According to the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, the Superior General is elected for life. However, foreseeing the possibility of his being in situations that render him seriously and definitively incapable of governing the Society with the result that the common good suffers notably, the Constitutions offer solutions for these cases. In the course of time, it has seemed fitting to address situations, which may not be of extreme gravity, but in which the General may find himself permanently disadvantaged from fulfilling the tasks of his office. The 31st General Congregation (1965-66), while maintaining the lifetime character of the General’s term of office, authorized him to resign in such circumstances, after following a detailed procedure. His resignation does not take effect until it is accepted by the Society at a General Congregation.