In Memoriam

 

FR GEORGE NEDUNGATT, S.J.

(21.12.1932-26.10.2022) 

Fr George Nedungatt S.J. fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday 26 October 2022 at 6.15 am at Christ Hall (Jesuit house, Kozhikode, Kerala, India). The funeral took place on 28 October at 10.30 am at Christ Hall church, and he was buried in the Jesuit cemetery on the campus. The funeral services were live-streamed (link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLisImFH7rA ).

George was born on 21 December 1932 at Peringuzha near Muvattupuzha in India, as the second son of Mr Kunjupappa (Ipe) and Mrs Mariam. He had three brothers, and no sister. The Nedungatt family is blessed with many priestly and religious vocations, including the two late Jesuits (Br Varghese and Fr Joseph).

As a school-boy, George was known to his neighbours and schoolmates as a talented person. The Marian Sodality in his parish (Kalloorkad, the present-day Kothamangalam eparchy) was organised by him which he furnished with a library, with books collected mostly from houses.

After his secondary education, he joined the Jesuit novitiate on 11 June 1950 at Christ Hall, where he also received his juniorate formation (1952-1954). He did his philosophy training (with a BA degree) at Shembaganur (1954-1959), and his regency was at St Joseph’s College, Trichy and Leo XIII High School, Alleppey (1960-1961). For theological studies, he was sent to St Mary’s College, Kurseong (1961-1965), where he was ordained a priest on 19 March 1964. His tertianship, the final stage of Jesuit formation,was at La Providence, Kodaikanal (1966-1967). In the hands of Fr Pedro Arrupe, he made his final religious profession at the church of Gesù, Rome on 2 February 1968.

After his ordination, Fr George was sent to the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome for higher studies in 1967, where he did licentiate (1969) and doctorate (1973) in canon law. On 17 January 1973, he defended his doctoral thesis, entitledCovenant Law and Pastoral Ministry according to Aphrahat: Element for a Theologia Juris from Syrian Orient till 350 A.D, which he wrote under the guidance of Ivan Žužek SJ and Ignacio Ortiz de Urbina SJ.

For about 35 years (1973-2007), he taught canon law at the Oriental Institute, and served as the dean of its Faculty of Eastern Canon Law (1981-1987). There he taught Theology of Law, Philosophy of Law, Clerics and Laity, Magisterium, Juridical Methodology, and Canonical Latin.After retiring from teaching, in order to complete some academic work, he remained in the Jesuit community of the Oriental Institute until 29 February 2012, on which day he returned to his province (Kerala). He served as a visiting professor at the Institute of Oriental Canon Law (IOCL) of Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram Bangalore (India) from 1999-2012, and as a resident teacher from 2012-2015. In 2015, he joined the Jesuit community of Kalady (India), where he continued his research and publications. In March 2022, he was transferred to Christ Hall, where he lived until his passing away.

A scholar of international reputation, Fr Nedungatt wrote several well-known books and articles. In his writings and lectures, Fr George took an interdisciplinary approach. His competence in various areas is manifest in his works like The Laity and Church Temporalities: Appraisal of a Tradition. He was a canon lawyer, but wrote also on spirituality, history, sociology, the Bible, philosophy, theology, patrology and hermeneutics.

His contribution as a consultor of the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Eastern Code of Canon Law (1973-1990) deserves praise. As the Relator of the committee on Clerics and Ecclesiastical Magisterium, he drafted its canons, many of which passed with little or no change, into the code. He has left his mark on the very heading of the eastern code.

The name of Fr Nedungatt appeared in the AnnuarioPontificio for several years as consultor of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. He contributed significantly as the president of the Apostolic Tribunal in the cause of St Alphonsa; and as the postulator in the cause of St Mariam Thresia. For a short period, he served also as the postulator of the causes of the Servant of God Joseph Vithayathil and of St Devasahayam Pillai. As the postulator of the cause of St Euphrasia, he presented the diocesan enquiry on a miracle to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

A polyglot, he knew English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese, besides his own mother tongue Malayalam. For purposes of research, he could handle ancient languages like Sanskrit, Syriac, Hebrew and Greek. Many Jesuits know him as their Latin professor. This language facility was an invaluable tool that opened before him a wide world of knowledge and made his works erudite. In an international symposium I attended, he was the only speaker who responded to questions in the same language in which they were put from the floor.

Justice as a great value is a recurring theme in his writings and was so in his lectures. He presents the Church’s law as a safeguard for justice, thus underscoring its ministerial aspect.He was flexible in interpreting and applying canon law, provided justice and order were guaranteed. On the other hand, he was demanding when it was a question of quality and our commitment to the Church’s mission.

If  Fr Nedungatt were among the ten virgins in the Gospel (Mt. 25: 1-13), the five unwise would not have become so desperate, because he would have held an exhortation on the need for procuring oil before they set out from the house. His farsightedness, even in small matters, would make us wonder. Many who have collaborated with him in various commissions told me that working with him was not easy in the beginning, because he would not let his collaborators take it easy, but demand that they be well prepared. In the end they would invariably realise that it was an enriching experience to work with him, and an enduring satisfaction and joy would prevail after the hard work and pain involved.Total sincerity in what he didwas another distinguishing characteristic of Fr Nedungatt, which helped him do his duties as coming from God. Thus, he would not water down his mission. His lack of flexibility, demand for quality and commitment to the Church’s mission originated from such a conviction.

Professor Nedungatt was also a perennial student. His intellectual curiosity was ever active and he injected it into his listeners and readers. He was attentive to the changes, developments and undercurrents in politics and in scientific research. Since his philosophy days he was a regular listener of the BBC. Critically attentive to the media, he felt in them the pulse of humanity and its aspirations. On the other hand, “professor of professors” would be a more suitable designation for Fr Nedungatt. His works are rather resources for those doing research than for students who only seek to get information. His familiarity with primary sources made his works authoritative.

Criticism, if done properly, nurtures growth. Fr Nedungatt’s criticism was always constructive. He even criticised the codes of canon law but always in a scientific, scholarly and responsible manner. He wrote criticising Pope Benedict XVI for not explicitly recognising the apostle Thomas’ arrival in South India, and his articles in this regard made the Pope correct his discourse in its published version.

If our criterion to evaluate a professor is the number of students choosing him to guide their doctoral dissertation, we may not rate Fr Nedungatt very high. Very few students chose him as the director of their doctoral dissertation. He was very demanding and wanted his students to work hard as he did. Thirteen students wrote doctoral dissertations under his guidance.

He respected the opinions of others, even when they were different from his own, but he was able to remain friends with them. He was guided more by reason than by passion. When one of his books, intended to be published at the Oriental Institute, but failed in its peer review, he did not lose calm. He was not frustrated with the failure but took it peacefully. That was an occasion to know the depth of the faith of a man of renowned scholarship.

He remained a faithful Companion of Jesus. He would not bypass anyone found wounded on the way. He had a gentle way of dealing with the weak, with the lay collaborators of his institute and community, and with the poor in the street. He showed concern for them and their problems. Out of the honorarium he got from priestly ministry in Germany and Italy, with the permission of his superiors, he had about twenty houses built for the poor in his home parish. A pioneer, a lover of Jesus and of the Church, and of the mission he was given, Fr George would not seek his own comfort and pleasure.

In conclusion, I would like to cite what the Rector of the Oriental Institute wrote in his message of condolences, “With the passing away of Fr Nedungatt, we have lost an eminent canonist and a father of the present eastern code of canon law. As a professor and dean of the faculty of eastern canon law of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, he enriched it and elevated its prestige. His contributions as a consultor of the commission for the codification of eastern canon law and his publications bear witness to his high level of foresight, scholarship and clarity of thought. A consultor of various Vatican departments, he left lasting marks in some of the decisions which came from them. Many in our community remember him as a good religious and community man. The Oriental Institute and the Church, in general, are deeply indebted to him for his contributions.”

I knew Fr Nedungattas my professor since 1998, and we were members of the same community from 2003 to 2012. He guided my licentiate and doctoral dissertations. May the soul of my guru rest in Peace!

Sunny Kokkaravalayil