Pedro Arrupe, SJ

Born in Bilbao in 1907, Pedro Arrupe trained as a physician before a profound encounter with suffering and healing at Lourdes led him to abandon medicine for the priesthood. Entering the Society of Jesus in 1927, he set out to become, in his own words, a healer of souls.

Assigned to Japan, Arrupe’s early priesthood was marked by extraordinary trials. During the Second World War he was imprisoned and interrogated as a suspected spy, an experience he later described as one of the most formative periods of his life. In August 1945, he was living just two miles from the center of Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped. Using his medical training, he organized emergency care for the wounded, an event that left an indelible mark on his life and vocation.

Elected Superior General of the Jesuits in 1965, Arrupe led the largest religious order in the world through the upheavals following the Second Vatican Council. His leadership emphasized the inseparable link between faith and justice, calling religious life to confront poverty, inequality, and social injustice with courage and fidelity to the Gospel. In response to the crisis of Vietnamese boat people, he founded the Jesuit Refugee Service, which has since served tens of millions of displaced persons across the globe.

Arrupe died in 1991, leaving behind a legacy of prayer, service, and compassionate leadership. The opening of his cause for beatification in 2018 reflects the enduring witness of a man whose life was shaped by sacrifice, mercy, and unwavering commitment to Christ.