John J. DeGioia
President, Georgetown University
"In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, we recognize the urgency and importance of strengthening our capacities to foster intercultural and interreligious understanding. Father Nicolas brought a prophetic humility to this work. His years in Asia provided him with a distinctive perspective. He understood that in this moment we would look to the projects of the great sixteenth-century Jesuit missionaries—their efforts to pioneer the practice of inculturation—the work of Francis Xavier, Alessandro Valignano, Matteo Ricci. He also understood that we should expect much more of ourselves in our encounter today. We are the beneficiaries of four centuries of intellectual developments that were unavailable to the pioneers. And he understood that the distinctive strength the Society of Jesus can contribute are the resources of Ignatian spirituality—resources that can serve as a “bridge in the dialogue.”"