Jesuits

The society of Jesuits was founded in 1540 by Ignatius Loyola. They assumed an important role in the renewal of the Catholic Church, and were known for being educators, scholars, and missionaries throughout the world. In their missionary work, they were often the first Europeans to arrive at the new worlds and, thus, they created a platform for the spread of Catholicism. The Jesuits devoted themselves to the young, the sick, prisoners, prostitutes, and soldiers. They viewed themselves as soldiers in a war against the Devil. They spoke of a new piety for the church and encouraged it to reject its worldly ways and embody a holy, selfless life that could result in salvation. They were often called upon to be confessors to the ruling families of Europe. There were about a thousand Jesuits by the time of Ignatius's death in 1556, and almost twenty three thousand two centuries after that.

In 1773, Clement XIV issued a document suppressing the Society of Jesus, saying he did so to maintain peace and tranquility within the Church. The charges against them were high visibility of the Jesuits among religious orders, their strong defense of the papacy, their work in the missions on behalf of the indigenous peoples, their apparent power at royal courts and in the Church as well as because of their own pride and occasional failings in judgment. Though Clement posted the charges, he avoided condemning the society in itself.

As a result of these charges, Jesuit houses and colleges everywhere were seized by the local authorities. Some Jesuits were imprisoned; some were driven into exile. The superior general of the Society, Lorenzo Ricci, was imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo where he died two years later. the Jesuits maintained their corporate identity only in Russia where the Empress Catherine, for her own political reasons, would not allow the papal decree to have its full effect.

Today, the Society of Jesus has nearly twenty-five thousand members worldwide.

