Jesuit - who is this? History of the Jesuits. Jesuits

JESUITS, Society of Jesus (Latin Societas Jesu), Catholic monastic order founded by Ignatius of Loyola.

Story. The symbolic date of the creation of the Jesuit order is considered to be 15.8.1534, when in the chapel of Our Lady on the hill of Montmartre in Paris, Ignatius of Loyola and his associates Francis Xavier, Pierre Faber, Diego Laines, Alfonso Salmeron, Nicholas Bobadilla and Simon Rodriguez took vows of non-covetousness, chastity and apostolic service in Holy Land or (if it turns out to be impossible) in other parts of the world, at the choice of the Pope. The vows ended with the words “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (“For the greater glory of the Lord”), which became the motto of the future order. Due to the war between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire, the trip to the Holy Land did not take place, so Ignatius of Loyola and his associates went to Rome in November 1539, where he founded the Society of Jesus, designed to protect the Church from internal contradictions and external enemies. The Society of Jesus was approved on September 27, 1540 by the bull “Regimini militantis Ecclesiae” of Pope Paul III (1534-49); its structure is determined by the Statutory Formula (Formula Instituti), compiled by Ignatius of Loyola, who, after being elected “general” of the order on April 8, 1541, also developed its lengthy Constitution (the number of the Society was initially limited to 60 members; in 1544 this limit was abolished). Ignatius of Loyola created a monastic order with strict discipline: its members, in addition to the three usual monastic vows (non-covetousness, chastity and obedience), brought a fourth - unconditional obedience to the Pope. Ignatius of Loyola also defined criteria for the admission of new members, suggesting a long novitiate, as well as a second period of probation before taking the final, fourth, vow. In July 1548, in the Pastoralis Officii, Pope Paul III approved the “Spiritual Exercises” (“Exercitia Spiritualia”) compiled by Ignatius of Loyola - a course of contemplative practices and prayerful reflections that help practitioners, especially members of the order, determine personal life priorities and achieve spiritual purification and strengthening on the path of virtue.

The successors of Paul III, and above all Pope Julius III (1550-55), providing patronage to the order, granted it rights that no other Catholic monastic order had ever enjoyed. The Jesuits were entrusted with the creation of a new theological and apologetic foundation of the Catholic Church, capable of resisting the Reformation and internal church contradictions. At the Council of Trent, the Jesuits D. Laines (general of the order in 1558-1565) and A. Salmeron acted as papal theologians. In the 2nd half of the 16th century, the order strengthened its position in France and Germany - the main area for the spread of Protestant ideas in Europe. At the same time, the activities of the Jesuits in the field of reorganizing the system of Catholic spiritual and secular education acquired paramount importance through the creation of a network of Jesuit educational colleges (at the end of the 16th century there were about 140 of them). Pope Julius III approved the founding of the Roman College by the Jesuits in February 1551 (later transformed into the Gregorian University) and entrusted them with the German College, which trained priests for ministry in countries influenced by Protestant ideas. From 1571 Jesuits were allowed to teach in major European university cities. At the end of the 16th century, the Jesuits played a leading role in the education system in Catholic countries. The principles underlying the Jesuit educational system were developed under the supervision of C. Acquaviva (general of the order in 1581-1615). By the beginning of the 17th century, the total number of the order had increased to more than 13 thousand members in 32 order provinces.

Initially, the priority region for the ministry of the order was identified as Europe, torn apart by political and church contradictions. From the beginning of the 1540s, the Roman Curia began to send Jesuit missionaries to various regions of Asia, Africa and the New World: in 1542 - to India, in 1549 - to Japan, in 1562 - to China (Macau); In 1548, Jesuit missions were founded in the Congo and Morocco, in 1550 - in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, in 1604 - in Sierra Leone, in 1616 - on the island of Madagascar. In 1549, through the works of the Jesuit priest M. da Nobrega, the spiritual mission of the order was established in Brazil (developed thanks to the activities of J. de Anchieta and A. Vieira), in 1566 - in Florida, in 1567 - in Peru, in 1652 - in Haiti, in 1697 - in California. The Jesuit state existed in Paraguay 1610-1767. In 1611, the mission of the order began in Canada (I. de Brebeuf, I. Jogues), in 1634 - in Maryland (in the territory of the modern USA). In the Middle East (Syria), a Jesuit mission was opened in 1831 (its center later became Beirut and the Jesuit University of St. Joseph, founded there).

In the 17th - 1st half of the 18th century, the Jesuits played a significant role in European politics. In Rome, many Jesuits were confessors to popes and cardinals.

From the 2nd half of the 18th century, the order was persecuted by European royal houses: in the 1760s, the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal, in 1764 from France and in 1767 from Spain. Under pressure from the Bourbons, Pope Clement XIV (1769-1774) decided to dissolve the order, which was formalized by the breve “Dominus ac Redemptor Noster” (dated July 21, 1773), motivating his decision by the fact that the existence of the order prevents the reign of lasting peace in the Church itself . The Order was restored in the period after the end of the Napoleonic Wars by Pope Pius VII (1800-23), according to his bull “Sollicitudo omnium Ecclesiarum” (dated 7.8.1814).

The order's closest relationship with the papacy was established during the pontificate of Pius IX (1846-78), when the Jesuits became the main support of the curia in opposition to the increasing liberalization and secularization of European thought. The Jesuits played an important role in all the theological discussions of the time and in the revival of interest in the philosophical system of Thomism; During the work of Vatican Council I, the position of the Jesuits was especially strong in the commission on fundamental theology. During the pontificate of Leo XIII (1878-1903), a representative of the order took part in the preparation of the text of the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum. During the same period, the Jesuits were entrusted with the mission of disseminating the ideas of neo-Thomism and their leading role in the field of Catholic education was confirmed (thus, the Biblical Institute in Rome was entrusted to the order). During the pontificate of Pius XI (1922-39), the Jesuits R. Leiber and A. Bea took part in the preparation of the papal encyclical "Mit brennender Sorge" (1937) together with Cardinal E. Pacelli, who, after becoming Pope Pius XII (1939-58 ), appointed the first as his personal secretary, and the second as his confessor. Pius XII also resorted to the help of the Jesuits in the field of exegesis, in the preparation of such theological texts as the encyclical “Mystici corporis” (1943), the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The representation and participation of the Jesuits at Vatican II Council was significant: in the development of preparatory “schemes”, in the work of various commissions (A. de Lubac, J. Danielou, K. Rahner), as episcopal consultants.

Current situation. At the beginning of the 21st century, the order makes a significant contribution to the work of various departments of the Vatican, participates in holding synods and preparing official documents of the Holy See, and is actively involved in publishing activities: it runs the official printed organ of the Holy See - the magazine “La Civiltà Cattolica”.

The structure of the order and the principles of its organization have not undergone any significant changes since its founding. The first, lowest class of the order is the novices; it includes those preparing to enter the order for two years, at the end of which they take the first three vows. The second class is the scholastics; it is composed of novices who have passed the entrance examination and serve as missionaries, assistant teachers, etc. After receiving philosophical, theological and pedagogical training, ordination to the priesthood and taking the fourth vow of unconditional obedience to the Pope, they receive the permanent status of professionals to whom the main orders of the order are entrusted , important missions and embassies. Scholastics who do not aspire to receive holy orders are transferred to the category of spiritual coadjutors and are appointed to the positions of professors, confessors, preachers, etc. Secular coadjutors serve in the economic institutions of the order. At the head of the order is a general, elected by the professions from among themselves at the General Congregation. He is the lifelong and unlimited head of the order, dependent only on the Pope.

The Order unites monastic assistantships (districts) governed by assistants; assistantships are divided into provinces and vice-provinces (in missionary countries), headed by provincials appointed by the general (usually for 3 years); The provinces include order houses (monasteries) - colleges (if they have educational institutions) or residences. Members of the order with all the order's institutions were from the very beginning removed from the jurisdiction of local spiritual authorities, including the bishop.

Since September 1983, the General of the Jesuit Order is P. H. Kolvenbach (elected at the 33rd Rome General Congregation of the Order). As of 2007, the order unites 19,573 members, including novices (of which 13,736 are clergy), as well as 1,536 monasteries. The General Curia of the Order is located in Rome. Over the 5 centuries of the order’s existence, the Catholic Church canonized 28 of its members (2006).

Lit.: Dizionario storico del Papato. Mil., 1996. Vol. 1; Bemer G. History of the Jesuit Order. Smolensk, 2002; Blinova T. B. Jesuits in Belarus: The role of the Jesuits in the organization of education and enlightenment. Grodno, 2002; Inglot M. The Society of Jesus in the Russian Empire (1772-1820) and its role in the widespread restoration of the Order throughout the world. M., 2004; Cattabiani A. Santi d'Italia. 3 ed. Mil., 2004. Vol. 2; Wright D. Jesuits. M., 2006; Annuario Pontificio 2007. Città del Vaticano, 2007.

E. V. Kalinichenko.

Order mission in Russia. The first attempt to create an order mission in Muscovite Rus' was made during the pontificate of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-85), when a mission led by priest Antonio Possevino was sent to the court of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich the Terrible (it also included priests Giovanni Paolo Campana and Stefan Drenotsky , scholastic Modest, brother of Morien) (1581). The result of Antonio Possevino's mission was the conclusion of the Yam-Zapolsky Peace of 1582 between the Muscovite kingdom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A significant group of Jesuit priests led by K. Savitsky (confessor of Marina Mnishek), M. Tsirovsky, and A. Lavitsky acted as court preachers and advisers at the court of False Dmitry I and Marina Mniszech. In 1684, a mission of the Bohemian province of the order was founded in Moscow, and in 1685 representatives of the Jesuit mission established a school for noble children. After a break that followed in 1689-1698, the activities of the Jesuit mission in Moscow were resumed in 1698. By 1707, there were about 30 students in the Moscow Jesuit school. In 1713-19, a Jesuit monastery of the Lithuanian province of the order operated in St. Petersburg. In April 1719, due to the demand of Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky and the circumstances of the political conflict with the Viennese court, a decree from Emperor Peter I followed to stop the activities of the Jesuits in Russia. After the abolition of the order in Europe, the Jesuits, with the consent of Empress Catherine II, continued their activities in the Russian Empire, creating a Belarusian province with its own vicar general. In 1777 the Jesuit novitiate was founded in Polotsk; in 1800 the Jesuits were entrusted with the St. Petersburg parish of St. Catherine; in 1801 a Jesuit school was founded in St. Petersburg, transformed in 1806 into the Noble boarding school (existed until 1815). In 1812, the Polotsk Jesuit College was elevated to the rank of an academy. In 1802-15, the General Curia of the Order was located in St. Petersburg. Jesuit missions operated in Riga, Saratov, Odessa, Astrakhan, Irkutsk, Tomsk and other cities. In 1815, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, the Jesuits were expelled from St. Petersburg with a ban on living in Moscow; in 1820 an imperial decree followed, prohibiting the activity of the order throughout the Russian Empire. From that moment until 1990, the Jesuits were not able to legally carry out their mission on the territory of the Russian Empire, and then the USSR. The mission of the order on the territory of the USSR and then the Russian Federation was resumed in 1990; in 1990-92, the functions of coordinator of the order’s activities in the USSR and the Russian Federation were performed by the assistant general of the order for Eastern Europe B. Stechek. In 1992, the Independent Russian Region of the Society of Jesus was established (also unites all CIS countries; independent order provinces were formed in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia). In 1994, the Catholic Center for Spiritual Development “Inigo” was opened in Novosibirsk; in June 1997, the College (now the Institute) of Philosophy, Theology and History of St. Thomas Aquinas in Moscow was transferred to the Jesuits.

As of 2007, the Independent Russian Region of the Society of Jesus unites 56 people: 34 priests, 19 scholastics, 3 brothers. The Curia is located in Moscow.

Lit.: Moroshkin M. Jesuits in Russia from the reign of Catherine II to the present time. St. Petersburg, 1867. T. 1-2; Sapunov A. Note about the college and the Jesuit Academy in Polotsk. Vitebsk, 1890; Simon S. Russicum: pioneers and witnesses of the struggle for Christian unity in Eastern Europe. Rome, 2002. Vol. 2: The first years, 1929-1939; Inglot M. The Society of Jesus in the Russian Empire (1772-1820) and its role in the widespread restoration of the Order of St. Ignatius. M., 2004.

Priest M. Inglot.

Fine arts and architecture. Attaching exceptional importance to religious images, perceiving them both as an aid to believers in prayer and as a means of promoting faith, the Jesuits made a significant contribution to the formation of the iconography of the Counter-Reformation. The best European artists worked on orders from the Jesuits and on the basis of their iconographic programs; their art contributed to the establishment of theatricality and illusionism as the main qualities of Baroque painting.

"Worship the name of Jesus." Altarpiece by El Greco. 1578-79. Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial (Spain).

Of particular importance for the Jesuits was the veneration of the name of Jesus, with which the appearance of such subjects as “The Triumph of the Name of Jesus” (vault of the Church of Il Gesu in Rome, artist J.B. Gaulli, 1678-79) and “Adoration of the Name of Jesus” (El Greco, 1578-79, monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial; A. Pozzo, 1700-01, Jesuit church in Bamberg). In this regard, the theme “Bringing to the Temple”, during which the naming of Jesus took place, acquired particular importance (P. P. Rubens, 1605, Church of Sant’Ambrogio, Genoa; S. Vouet, 1641, Louvre, Paris).

Even before the canonization of the first saints of the Jesuit order - Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier - their images appear in altar paintings commissioned by the Jesuits (“Miracles of St. Ignatius” and “Miracles of St. Francis Xavier” by Rubens, circa 1617-1618, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vein). Subsequently, the lives of these saints became a common subject of painting: the perspective-illusionistic ceiling of A. Pozzo (“The Apotheosis of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the missionary activity of the Jesuit order”) in the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome (1688-94); “The Miracle of St. Francis Xavier” by N. Poussin (1641, Louvre) and others. Episodes of Xavier’s missionary activity in India and China were popular: the baptism of an Indian queen who had previously persecuted Christians (A. Pozzo, 1701, Kiscelli Museum, Budapest), lonely death preacher in China (G.B. Gaulli, 1676, Church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale in Rome). The relief “Saint Ignatius and the First Saints of the Jesuit Order” by A. Algardi (1629) for the urn with the ashes of St. Ignatius in the Church of Il Gesu in Rome depicts the canonized Jesuits F. Borgia and Stanislav Kostka. The scene of the latter's death is presented in the sculptural composition of P. Legros the Younger (1702-03) in the Roman church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. The missionary activity of the Jesuits is reflected in allegorical form by the sculptural groups “Religion Overthrowing Heresy” (P. Legros the Younger) and “Faith Destroying Idolatry” (J. Theodon, both 1695-1699) in the altar of St. Ignatius in the same church. The Jesuits emphasized the importance of martyrdom in the name of faith and contributed to the dissemination of corresponding scenes (scenes of the martyrdom of saints in the Church of San Stefano Rotondo in Rome, artist N. Circiniano).

The Jesuit requirements for church architecture were embodied in the Church of Il Gesu in Rome (1568-84, G. da Vignola; facade - 1573, G. della Porta); the type of church with a single central nave (with a dome over the middle cross) turned out to be the most convenient for sermons, and chapels connected to each other by through passages in place of the side naves made it easier for clergy to access the altars. The interior and façade of Il Gesu became an example of a Jesuit temple, which was imitated throughout the world. Thus, in the New World a special style of “Jesuit” baroque developed (see Jesuit missions).

Lit.: Galassi Paluzzi S. Storia segreta dello stile dei Gesuiti. Rome, 1951; Pirri R. Giovanni Tristano e i promordi della architettura gesuitica. Rome, 1955; Kubier G., Soria M. Art and architecture in Spain and Portugal and their American dominions, 1500 to 1800. Harmondsworth, 1959; Wittkower R., Jaffé I. V. Baroque art: the Jesuit contribution. N.Y., 1972; Vösel R. Jesuitenarchitektur in Italien, 1540-1773. W., 1985. Bd 1-2.

members of the Catholic monastic order (“Society of Jesus”, Latin “Societas Jesu”), founded in 1534 in Paris by Ignatius of Loyola. The Order of I. is characterized by strict discipline, centralization, and unquestioning submission to the head of the order and the Pope. The first I. to arrive in Russia was the Pope's ambassador, Anthony Possevino. I.'s attempts to penetrate into Russia were suppressed by the government: in 1719, by decree of Peter I, they were expelled from the country. They resumed their activities under Empress Catherine II in the Belarusian and Lithuanian lands that became part of Russia in 1772-95. Officially recognized in 1801 by Emperor Paul I, but in 1815 they were expelled from St. Petersburg and Moscow, and in 1820 their activities on the territory of the Russian Empire were prohibited. In the Russian Federation in 1992, the Russian branch of the Order of I. - "Independent Russian Region of the Society of Jesus" was registered.

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Jesuits

Jesuits (Order of the Jesuits) is the unofficial name of the “Society of Jesus” (lat. “Societas Jesu”) - a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, whose members take a vow of direct unconditional submission to the Pope. This monastic order was founded in 1534 in Paris by the Spanish nobleman Ignatius of Loyola and established by Paul III in 1540. Members of the order, known as "Jesuits", have been called "foot soldiers of the Pope" since the Protestant Reformation, in part because the order's founder, Ignatius of Loyola , was a soldier before becoming a monk, and eventually a priest. The Jesuits were actively involved in science, education, upbringing of youth, and widely developed missionary activities. The motto of the order is the phrase “Ad majorem Dei gloriam,” which is translated from Latin as “To the greater glory of God.”

Today the number of Jesuits is 19,216 people (2007 data), of which 13,491 are priests. There are about 4 thousand Jesuits in Asia, 3 in the USA, and in total Jesuits work in 112 countries of the world, they serve in 1,536 parishes. This largest order of the Catholic Church allows many Jesuits to lead a secular lifestyle. Their work focuses on education and intellectual development, primarily in schools (colleges) and universities. They also continue their missionary work and are actively involved in issues related to human rights and social justice.

For the first time in the history of the Church, a religious order combined in its ministry two missions: the defense of faith and the defense of human dignity in all parts of the world, among all peoples, regardless of religion, culture, political system, or race.

Currently, the head (general) of the order is the Spaniard Adolfo Nicolas, who replaced Peter Hans Kolvenback. The main Curia of the order is located in Rome, in a historically significant complex of buildings, and includes the famous Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

History of the order

Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in 1491 at the Castle of Loyola in the Basque country of Spain. In his youth he visited the Spanish court and entered the service of the Viceroy of Navarre. Wounded during the siege of Pamplona on March 28, 1521, he was transported to Loyola Castle. There he was converted while reading the book “The Life of Christ” and decided to go to Jerusalem as a mendicant pilgrim. Having recovered, he left the castle, stopping along the way at the Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat in Catalonia, then spent some time in the city of Manresa, where he had his decisive spiritual experience. Subsequently, this experience will form the basis of the text of the Spiritual Exercises. He spent 1523 in Jerusalem, exploring the ways of Jesus, “Whom he wished to know better and better, Whom he strove to imitate and follow.” Upon his return, he studied in Barcelona, then in the city of Alcala. Difficult relations with the Inquisition (he even spent several days in prison) forced him to leave Alcala and go to Salamanca, and then to Paris, where he studied at the Sorbonne. He was 37 years old at that time.

Little by little, a small group of students gathers around this man. These are Pierre Favre from Savoy, Francis Xavier from Navarre, the Portuguese Simon Rodriguez, and some Spaniards. One by one they decide, under the guidance of Ignatius, to perform spiritual exercises. They meet often, they are concerned about the state of the Church, the ideological movements that worry the world of Parisian students. They talk about “divine things” and often pray together.

Two things seem necessary and urgent to them in their contemporary situation: “to know, imitate and follow Jesus Christ” and to return to true gospel poverty. They make a plan that they intend to implement immediately after finishing their studies: they will go to Jerusalem together. But if they cannot do this, they will go to Rome to place themselves at the disposal of the pope for "every mission among faithful or infidel."

On the early morning of August 15, 1534, seven companions climb the Montmartre hill overlooking Paris and, in the Chapel of the Martyrs, seal their plan with personal vows, during a mass celebrated by Pierre Favre, who had been ordained a priest a few months earlier.

At the end of 1536, the comrades, now ten of them, set off from Paris to Venice. However, due to the war with the Turks, not a single ship sails to the Holy Land. Then they go to Rome and, in November 1537, accepted by Pope Paul III, enter the service of the Church to carry out any of its missions.

Now that they can be sent “all over the world,” the comrades have a presentiment that their group may disintegrate. They are faced with the question of what kind of relationship they should now establish among themselves. The obvious solution suggests itself: since the Lord gathered them from such different countries, people of such different ways of thinking, then “it would be better for us to be thus united and bound into one body, so that no physical separation, no matter how great, could divide us."

However, in that era the attitude towards the monastic orders was the most unfavorable. They were given a significant share of responsibility for the decline in the Church. However, after much deliberation, the decision was made to found a new monastic order. A draft charter was written and presented to the pope. The latter approves it on September 17, 1540. In April of the following year, Ignatius's comrades elect him as their abbot (“praepositus”).

During the remaining fifteen years of his life, Ignatius led the Society (he maintained an impressive correspondence of 6,800 letters) and drafted the Constitutions of the new institution. By the day of his death they were almost completed. The first Congregation, which will elect his successor, will put the finishing touches on this work and officially approve it.

The members of the Society, whose numbers are rapidly growing, are dispersed throughout the world: to Christian Europe, agitated by various movements of the Reformation, as well as to the lands discovered by the Spaniards and Portuguese. Francis Xavier goes to India, then to Japan and dies at the gates of China. Nobrega in Brazil, others in the Congo and Mauritania serve the emerging Church. Four members of the Society participate in the Council of Trent, which deals with the reform of the Church.

Golden age

The first century of the Society's existence was marked by remarkable developments, particularly in the field of science. Colleges are multiplying. In 1565 the order had 2,000 members; in 1615, when the fifth general of the order died, - 13,112.

Missionary activity continues. Jesuits appear in Florida, Mexico, Peru, Madagascar, the Philippines, and Tibet. The "reductions" of Paraguay are founded.

In Asia the Jesuits enjoy great success. In 1614, more than a million Japanese were Christians (before the Society was persecuted in that country). In China, Jesuits are given the authority by the emperor to proclaim the Gospel due to their knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and other sciences.

The successes, as well as the methods and ideology of the Society during the first century of its existence arouse rivalry, envy and intrigue against the Jesuits. In many cases the struggle was so fierce that the order almost ceased to exist in an era overwhelmed by the movement of the most controversial ideas, such as Jansenism, quietism.

Opposition to the Society of the Courts of the Great Catholic Monarchs of Europe (Spain, Portugal, France) forced Pope Clement XIV to abolish the order in 1773. The last general of the order was imprisoned in a Roman prison, where he died two years later.

Society in the 19th and 20th centuries

The abolition of the order lasted forty years. Colleges and missions were closed, various undertakings were stopped. The Jesuits were added to the parish clergy. However, for various reasons, the Society continued to exist in some countries: in China and India, where several missions remained, in Prussia and, above all, in Russia, where Catherine II refused to publish the papal decree. Much effort was made by the Jesuit Society on the territory of the Russian Empire so that it could continue to exist and operate.

The society was restored in 1814. Collegiums are experiencing a new flourishing. In the context of the “industrial revolution”, intensive work is being carried out in the field of technical education. When lay movements emerged at the end of the 19th century, the Jesuits took part in their leadership.

Intellectual activity continues, among other things, new periodicals are created. It is necessary, in particular, to note the French magazine “Etudes”, founded in 1856 by Fr. Ivan-Xavier Gagarin. Centers for social research are being created to study new social phenomena and influence them. In 1903, the Action Populaire organization was created to promote change in social and international structures and to help the workers and peasant masses in their collective development. Many Jesuits are also involved in basic research in the natural sciences, which boomed in the 20th century. Of these scientists, the most famous is paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Jesuits also work in the world of mass communication. They have been working on Vatican Radio from the time of its founding to the present day (in particular, in the Russian section).

Theological research is developing. The French Jesuits study the theology of the Fathers of the Church and undertake the first scientific edition of the Greek and Latin patristic writings, which replaces the old edition of Father Minh: this is a collection of Christian Sources. Work on it continues today. Other theologians become famous in connection with the Second Vatican Council: Fr. Karl Rahner in Germany, Fr. Bernard Lonergan, who taught in Toronto and Rome.

Another important area is ecumenical activity. The Second Vatican Council gave it a powerful impetus. One of the pioneers in this area was Fr. Augustin Bea (later cardinal).

Society has come to the need to modify its way of activity. In 1965, the 31st General Congregation was convened and elected a new General, Fr. Pedro Arrupe and thought about some necessary changes (formation, image of the apostolate, functioning of the Society, etc.)

After 10 years Fr. Pedro Arrupe decides to convene the 32nd General Congregation to reflect more deeply on the mission of the Society in today's world. This Congregation, having affirmed in its decrees the paramount importance of the mission of “service of faith”, which was defined by the 31st Congregation, put forward another task - the participation of the Order in the struggle for justice in the world. And earlier, many members of the Society of Jesus, as if going beyond the usual limits of their already diverse vocation, were involved in various spheres of social activity to establish a more just social order and protect human rights. But what in the past was considered the work of individual members, now, after the official decrees of the Congregation, became the ecclesiastical mission of the Order along with the mission of opposing atheism. Therefore, the 4th decree adopted by this Congregation is entitled: “Our mission today: serving the faith and promoting justice.”

Jesuits in world literature

* Beranger - “Holy Fathers”

* Blasco Ibáñez - “Jesuit Fathers”

* Stendhal “Red and Black” - paints a picture of the Jesuit school

* Dumas, Alexandre (father) - “The Vicomte de Bragelonne, or Ten Years After”

* Father d'Orgeval - novel "Angelique" from 13 volumes by Anne and Serge Golon

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In the first half of the 16th century, Catholicism in many Western European countries weakened significantly. The Catholic Church, centralized and subordinate to the Pope, which claimed power over the whole world, turned out to be powerless in the face of the reformation processes, as a result of which several million people almost simultaneously left the traditional church. The position of the Catholic Church was undermined, if not completely destroyed, not only in Germany, but also in England, Switzerland, and Scotland. But the church world still retained enough strength to launch a counteroffensive. This period in history was called the Counter-Reformation. The persecution of heretics and dissidents was intensified, the Inquisition was reorganized, an Index of Forbidden Books was established, and laymen were forbidden to read and discuss the Holy Scriptures. But the main weapon of Catholic reaction during this period was the “Society of Jesus” - a fighting force of the militant church. This society is more familiar to us as the Jesuit Order.

The Jesuit Order was founded in 1534 in Paris by the Spanish nobleman Ignatius of Loyola and confirmed by Pope Paul III in 1540. Members of the order, dating back to the Protestant Reformation, were called "foot soldiers of the Pope," partly because the order's founder, Ignatius of Loyola, was a soldier before becoming a monk. The motto of the order is the phrase "Ad majorem Dei gloriam", which is translated from Latin as "For the greater glory of God."

According to Wikipedia, Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, was born in 1491 in the Basque country of Spain. While in the service of the Viceroy of Navarre, during the siege of Pamplona in 1521, he was wounded and transported to Loyola Castle, where he converted while reading the Life of Christ. Having recovered, he left the castle, deciding to go to Jerusalem as a mendicant pilgrim, but along the way he stopped in the city of Manresa, in which, according to historians, he had a certain spiritual experience that formed the basis for the text of “Spiritual Exercises” (a book from which people are still taught today). future Jesuits).

Coat of arms of the order

Ignatius spends 1523 in Jerusalem, exploring the ways of Jesus, “Whom he wanted to know better and better, Whom he strove to imitate and follow.” Upon his return, Ignatius studied in Barcelona, then in the city of Alcala. Due to difficult relations with the Inquisition (he even spent several days in prison), Ignatius Loyola left Alcala and went to Salamanca, and then to Paris, where he studied at the Sorbonne. Over time, a small group of students gathered around the future “general”: Pierre Favre from Savoy, Francis Xavier from Navarre, the Portuguese Simon Rodriguez, and some Spaniards. One by one they decide, under the guidance of Ignatius, to perform spiritual exercises. At frequent meetings, being concerned about the state of the Church and the ideological movements that were widespread among Parisian students, the members of the resulting group talked about spiritual things and often prayed together.

In their opinion, two things were necessary and urgent at that moment: “to know Jesus Christ, to imitate Him and to follow Him” and “to return to true gospel poverty.” The comrades made a plan that they wanted to implement immediately after completing their studies - to go to Jerusalem together. And they decided that if they could not do this, then they would go to Rome and place themselves at the disposal of the pope for “any mission among faithful or infidel.”

On August 15, 1524, in the Chapel of the Martyrs in Montmartre, seven companions seal their plan with personal vows during mass. A little over ten years passed after that. At the end of 1536, the comrades, now ten of them, set off from Paris to Venice in order to sail to the holy land. But because of the war with the Turks, ships did not go there. Then, going to Rome, in November 1537 they entered the service of the Church to carry out any of its missions. Here, the group faced the threat of disintegration - they could be sent “all over the world.” Therefore, they decide: since the Lord has gathered them from such different countries and such different ways of thinking, it is better for them to be united and bound into a single “body.”

Founder of the Order Ignatius of Loyola

At that time, the attitude towards the monastic orders was the most unfavorable, because it was the orders that held a significant part of the responsibility for the decline in the Church. In addition, the Pope was very afraid that the Jesuits might also follow the path of reformation. Pope Paul III gave his consent to the organization of the order very reluctantly and with the condition that the number of members of the new organization would not exceed 60 (however, this restriction was subsequently lifted less than a year later). Ignatius Loyola was elected superior of the order.

Until his death, during the remaining fifteen years of his life, Ignatius led the Society, and drew up the Constitution of the new institution. And the first Congregation (a monastic organization that does not have the status of a monastic order - editor's note), which elected his successor, put the finishing touches on this work and officially approved it.

The members of the Society, whose numbers grew rapidly, were sent all over the world: to Christian Europe, agitated by various movements of the Reformation, as well as to the lands discovered by the Spaniards and Portuguese. Francis Xavier went to India, then to Japan and died at the gates of China. Nobreg went to Brazil, the others to Congo and Mauritania. Four members of the Society began to actively participate in the Council of Trent, which dealt with the reform of the Church.

Council of Trent- the nineteenth Ecumenical Council (of the Roman Catholic Church), which opened on December 13, 1545 in Trento (lat. Tridentum) on the initiative of Pope Paul III, mainly in response to the Reformation, and closed there on December 4, 1563, during the pontificate of Pius IV , was the most important cathedral in the history of the Catholic Church.

At the council, among other things, there was a confirmation of the Nicene Creed, the Latin translation of the Bible (Vulgate), the adoption of the deuterocanonical books into the Bible and the Trentian Catechism. Much attention was paid to the sacrament of the Eucharist. A total of 16 dogmatic decrees were adopted, covering most of Catholic doctrine.

PRINCIPLES OF WORK OF THE ORDER

At first, the attention of the Jesuits was drawn to the return of those who had fallen away from it to the bosom of the Catholic Church. The main weapons of the struggle were mass propaganda work - preaching, and the processing of other people - confession, the organization of shelters for orphans, soup kitchens, houses of St. Martha, etc. Members of the order were recruited according to the principles of physical, mental and class selection - people who were physically healthy, with good mental abilities, energetic and, if possible, of “good origin” with a decent fortune were accepted. The organization was built on the principles of unity of command and strict centralism, unconditional obedience to the will of the elder and iron discipline. One historian compared the construction of the order to chain mail, woven from strong and flexible rings; which make the order invulnerable and at the same time elastic.

In 1565, the order had 2,000 members, and in 1615, when the fifth general of the order died, there were 13,112. Jesuits appear in Florida, Mexico, Peru, Madagascar, the Philippines, and Tibet. In Paraguay they created a state (since 1610), which existed for about 160 years. The Order actively participated in the colonization of Asia, Africa and South America. To instill the “true faith,” the Jesuits ventured to China. They went to Tibetan mountain villages, which could hardly be reached by a trained climber. In China, the Jesuits were given the authority by the emperor to proclaim the Gospel due to their knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and other sciences.

Jesuit missionary, 1779.

The successes, as well as the methods and ideology of the Society during the first century of its existence aroused rivalry, envy and intrigue against the Jesuits. In many cases the struggle was so fierce that the order almost ceased to exist in an era overwhelmed by the movement of the most controversial ideas, such as Jansenism (the doctrine emphasized the corrupt nature of man due to original sin, the need for Divine grace, as well as predestination), quietism (the doctrine proclaimed complete passivity and calmness, submission to the divine will, indifference to good and evil, renunciation of the world). However, the 16th and 17th centuries were the heyday of the order's power and wealth; he owned rich estates and a lot of manufactories.

Pedagogical activity was put forward as one of the main tasks of the order by its founder. Thus, in 1616 there were 373 Jesuit collegiums (closed educational institutions), and by 1710 their number had increased to 612. In the 18th century, the overwhelming majority of secondary and higher educational institutions in Western Europe were in the hands of the Jesuits. And it is not surprising, because one of the main directions of the order’s activities in the field of education was the creation of a network of educational institutions and the education of youth from privileged or wealthy classes in the spirit of devotion to Catholicism.

In the 17th-18th centuries, the Jesuits had a reputation as brilliant teachers and teachers, as they accumulated the achievements of the pedagogy of their time: the class-lesson system of teaching, the use of exercises, the transition from easy to difficult. In education, the emphasis was on the development of ambition, says the Great Russian Encyclopedia. The spirit of competition was maintained: the best and laggards were regularly noted, competitions and debates were held.

SIX STAGES OF JESUITISM

1st stage: Anyone over 19 years old could enroll and for two years study what they should do in the future

2nd stage: studied general education subjects for two years

3rd stage: studied philosophy and natural sciences for three years

4th stage: regency preparation to become a teacher of theology

5th stage: theology - the candidate prepared himself for the hierarchy of the church

And on sixth̆ he entered into an initiation that took several months. He was initiated into the brotherhood, that is, he received certain revelations. Note that any candidate studied for 14 or 15 years to become a Jesuit. Required vows for members of the order: vow of chastity, vow of poverty and vow of obedience.

From the best students, “magistrates” were formed, whose members bore the honorary titles of patricians and senators (by analogy with Ancient Rome), “directors” (guardians from senior classes over younger students), as well as “academies” (such as school clubs), selected “ rectors." Students were prepared for active work, so the Jesuits abandoned the rules of the medieval monastery school: they took care of the health, physical development, nutrition and rest of the students. An important place was given to secular education. But the main thing remained religious education. The development of personal individuality was combined with strict regulation of student behavior, subordination of personal will to the interests of the church, the introduction of mutual supervision during and after classes, and the obligation to report the misdeeds of comrades (did you think that the Soviet government invented this? - Ed.).

The Jesuits developed their own moral system, which they called “adaptive.” It provided ample opportunity to arbitrarily interpret the basic religious and moral requirements depending on the circumstances, and to commit any act (sometimes criminal) in the name of a “higher goal” - “For the greater glory of the Lord.” This service value of morality is reflected in the motto “The end justifies the means” attributed to the Jesuits.

Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the main Jesuit temple in Rome

In 1770 the Order included 23,000 members, 669 colleges and 273 missions. However, the monarchs of all European countries were against the existence of a secret and strong organization acting in the interests of the Catholic Church and not in any way controlled by their authority. The pope was forced to dissolve the order. However, already in 1814, Pope Pius VII restored the Jesuit order in all its rights and privileges.

Not only engaged in theology, the Jesuits founded astronomical and seismological stations in Manila and China, and the Roman astronomer Secchi (1818–1878) gained worldwide fame. The Jesuit contribution to fiction was extensive and varied: the writings of the English Jesuit Hopkins (1844–1889) deserve special mention. Jesuit periodicals include “La Civilt cattolica” (“La Civilt cattolica”, Italy, 1850), “Studes” (“tudes”, France, 1856), “Stimmen der Zeit” (“Stimmen der Zeit”, Germany, 1865), “The Month” (England, 1864), “Razon y Fe” (“Razon y Fe”, Spain, 1901) and “America” (“America”, USA, 1909).

JESUIT STATE IN PARAGUAY

Since ancient times, the population of Paraguay has been made up of Guarani Indians. Missionary activity was started among them by the Dominican friar Las Casas. As Igor Shafarevich writes in his work “Socialism as a Phenomenon of World History,” the Jesuits, with their characteristic realistic approach, decided to make the adoption of Christianity practically attractive, and for this they tried to protect the converted Indians from their main disaster - the slave hunters, the Paulists from the state of San Francisco. Paulo, then the center of the slave trade.

The Jesuits accustomed the Indians to a settled life and moved them to large settlements called reductions. The first reduction was founded in 1609. At first, apparently, there was a plan to create a great state with access to the Atlantic Ocean, but this was prevented by Paulist raids. Beginning in 1640, the Jesuits armed the Indians and fought to resettle them in a difficult-to-reach area, bounded on one side by the Andes and on the other by the rapids of the Parana, La Plata and Uruguay rivers. By that time, the entire country was covered with a network of reductions. Already in 1645, the Jesuits of Macheta and Cataladino received from the Spanish crown a privilege that exempted the possessions of the Society of Jesus from subordination to the Spanish colonial authorities and from paying tithes to the local bishop. The Jesuits soon won the right to arm the Indians with firearms and created a strong army from the Guarani.

The Jesuits persistently rejected accusations that they had created an independent state in Paraguay. In fact, some of the accusations were exaggerated - for example, a book about the “Paraguayan Emperor” with his portrait, or coins allegedly issued by him were counterfeits of enemies of the Jesuits. But there is no doubt that the area controlled by the Jesuits was so isolated from the outside world that it could well be considered an independent state or dominion of Spain.

The Jesuits were the only Europeans in this territory. They obtained from the Spanish government a law according to which no European could enter the territory of the reductions without their permission and, in any case, could not stay there for more than three days. The Jesuits did not teach the Indians Spanish, but developed the Guaraní writing system and taught them to read and write. The Jesuit region had its own army and conducted independent foreign trade.

The population of the Jesuit state at its peak was 150-200 thousand people. The main part of them were Indians, in addition, about 12 thousand black slaves and 150-300 Jesuits. The history of this state ended in 1767-1768, when the Jesuits were expelled from Paraguay as part of the general anti-Jesuit policy of the Spanish cabinet.

The entire population was concentrated in the reductions. Usually two to three thousand Indians lived in the reductions, and about five hundred people lived in the smallest ones; the largest mission of St. Xavier numbered thirty thousand inhabitants. At the head of each reduction were two Jesuit priests. As a rule, one of them was much older than the other. There were usually no other Europeans in the reduction. The eldest of the two priests, the “confessor,” mainly devoted himself to the cult, the younger was considered his assistant and supervised economic affairs.

Allegory of the dissolution of the Jesuit order in 1773 as a gigantomachy

“The limited mind of the converted Indians forced the missionaries to take care of all their affairs, to guide them both spiritually and secularly,” the Jesuit Charlevoix quotes Antonio de Ulloa, a contemporary of the Paraguayan state, in “History of Paraguay.” There were no laws - they were replaced by the decisions of the fathers. They listened to confession, which was mandatory for the Indians, and they also prescribed punishments for all offenses. The punishments were: reprimand in private, public reprimand, whipping, imprisonment, expulsion from the reduction. The guilty person had to first repent in church dressed as a heretic, then be punished. De Ulloa writes: “They had such great confidence in their shepherds that even causeless punishment was considered deserved by them.”

All life in reductions was based on the fact that the Indians owned almost nothing: neither land, nor houses, nor raw materials or artisan tools were private property, and the Indians themselves did not belong to themselves. All produced products were delivered to warehouses staffed by Indians trained in writing and arithmetic. Some of the food was distributed to the population. The fabrics were divided into equal pieces and distributed by name. Each man received a knife and an ax annually.

Most of what was produced in reductions was exported. Thus, with huge herds, a large number of skins were tanned. The missions had tanning and shoe workshops. All their products were exported - the Indians were only allowed to walk barefoot. Foreign trade was carried out very widely. The reductions exported, for example, more local tea than the rest of Paraguay.

Many were amazed by the abilities that the Indians showed in their craft. Charlevoix writes that the Guarani “succeeded, as if instinctively, in any craft they encountered... For example, it was enough to show them a cross, a candlestick, an amulet, or give them material so that they could make the same one. One could hardly distinguish their work from the model they had in front of them.”

There was no trade either within the reduction or between reductions. There was no money either. Each Indian held a coin in his hands once in his life - during a wedding, when he presented it as a gift to the bride, so that the coin would be returned to the priest immediately after the ceremony.

All reductions were built according to the same plan. In the center there was a square square on which the church was located. Around the square there was a prison, workshops, warehouses, an arsenal, a spinning workshop in which widows and guilty women worked, a hospital, and a guest house. The rest of the reduction territory was divided into equal square blocks.

In contrast to the housing of the Indians, the churches were striking in their luxury. They were built of stone and richly decorated. The church in the mission of St. Xavier accommodated 4000-5000 people, its walls were decorated with shiny mica plates, and the altars were decorated with gold.

At dawn, the Indians were woken up by a bell, by which they had to get up and go to prayer, which was obligatory for everyone, and then to work. In the evening we also went to bed on cue. With the onset of darkness, detachments made up of the most reliable Indians patrolled the village. It was possible to leave the house only with special permission.

All Indians dressed in the same raincoats made from material obtained from the warehouse. Only officials and officers had clothes different from others, but only when they performed their public duties. The rest of the time, it (like the weapons) was stored in a warehouse. Marriages took place twice a year in a solemn ceremony. The choice of wife or husband was under the control of the fathers.

The children started working very early. “As soon as the child reached the age when he could already work, he was brought to the workshops and assigned to a craft,” writes Charlevoix. The Jesuits were very concerned that the population of the reductions was almost not growing - despite completely unusually good conditions for the Indians: a guarantee against hunger and medical care. To encourage fertility, Indians were not allowed to wear long hair (a sign of a man) until the child was born. For the same purpose, at night the sounds of the bell called them to fulfill their marital duties.

Meanwhile, the Jesuits themselves did everything to suppress the Indians' initiative and interest in the result of their work. The Regulations of 1689 states: “It is possible to give them anything to make them feel satisfied, but care must be taken that they do not become interested.” Only towards the end of their rule did the Jesuits try (probably for economic reasons) to develop private initiative, for example, they distributed cattle for private ownership. But this did not lead to anything - not a single experiment was successful.

The Jesuits in Paraguay, as throughout the world, ruined themselves with their successes - they became too dangerous. In particular, in the reductions they created a well-armed army of up to 12 thousand people, which was, apparently, the decisive military force in the area. They intervened in internecine wars, stormed the capital of Asuncion more than once, defeated Portuguese troops, and liberated Buenos Aires from the siege of the British. During the unrest, they defeated the governor of Paraguay, Don Jose Antequerra. Several thousand Guarani, armed with firearms, on foot and on horseback, took part in the battles. This army began to inspire increasing fears in the Spanish government.

The fall of the Jesuits was greatly facilitated by widespread rumors about the colossal wealth they had accumulated. After the Jesuits were expelled, government officials rushed to look for the treasures they had hidden and discovered that they were gone. Most of the Indians fled from the reductions and returned to their former religion and wandering life.

The assessment that the activities of the Jesuits in Paraguay received from enlightenment philosophers is interesting. For them, the Jesuits were enemy No. 1, but some of them did not find sufficiently lofty words to characterize their Paraguayan state: “The spread of Christianity in Paraguay by the efforts of the Jesuits alone is in a sense a triumph of humanity.”

JESUITS IN RUSSIA

In the 60s of the 16th century, the Jesuits established themselves in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On January 13, 1577, a bull was issued by Pope Gregory XIII on the formation of the Greek College, in which students from the East Slavic lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Livonia and Muscovy were to study. In the 16th-17th centuries, the Jesuits founded a number of educational institutions on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And in the 16th century, the Jesuits, who were active there, published about 350 theological, polemical, philosophical, catechetical, and preaching works.

Portuguese Tomas Pereira, one of the first Jesuits to visit Russia (1689)

In the summer of 1684, an embassy from the Holy Roman Emperor arrived in Moscow to negotiate Russia’s entry into the Holy League, says the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. The embassy included the Jesuit Vota, who was supposed to help organize the Jesuit mission in Moscow. In 1684-1689, the Jesuits launched active activities in Moscow and began to influence the favorite of Princess Sophia, Prince Golitsin. In 1689, after the accession of Peter I to the throne, the Jesuits were expelled from Russia. At the end of the 17th century, they were again allowed to settle in Moscow, where they founded a school, which was attended by the children of a number of nobles (Golitsins, Naryshkins, Apraksins, Dolgorukies, Golovkins, Musins-Pushkins, Kurakins).

After the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Jesuits again appeared in Russia, since their organizations existed on the territory of Belarus and Ukraine, which became part of the Russian Empire. About 20 Jesuit organizations came under Russian rule: 4 colleges (collegium) - in Dinaburg, Vitebsk, Polotsk and Orsha, 2 residences - in Mogilev and Mstislavl and 14 missions; over 200 Jesuits (97 priests, about 50 students and 55 coadjutors). The Jesuits' property was valued at 20 million zlotys. Empress Catherine II decided to leave the Jesuits in Russia on the condition that they take an oath to the Empress.

In 1773, Pope Clement XIV issued a bull dissolving the Jesuit order and ending its existence. Empress Catherine II refused to recognize her and allowed the Jesuits to maintain their organization and possessions on the territory of the Russian Empire. At the end of the 18th century, Russia became the only state where the Jesuits received the right to operate. In 1779, despite the pope's protests, a Jesuit novitiate (educational institution) was opened in Polotsk.

In 1800, Emperor Paul I entrusted the Jesuits with educational activities in the western provinces of Russia, placing them at the head of the Vilna Academy. The Viennese Jesuit Gruber (since 1802, general of the Jesuit Order), who repeatedly talked with the emperor about the unification of churches, became the favorite of Paul I.

In 1812, on the initiative of Alexander I, the Polotsk College of Jesuits was transformed into an academy, received university rights and management of all Jesuit schools in Belarus. During the reign of Emperor Alexander I, the Jesuits launched extensive missionary activities in Russia. Jesuit missions were established in Astrakhan, Odessa, and Siberia. In 1814-1815, conversions to Catholicism became more frequent, especially after the official restoration of the order in 1814, and protests by the Orthodox clergy against the activities of the Jesuits in Russia intensified.

MODERN JESUITS

The abolition of the order lasted forty years. Colleges and missions were closed, various undertakings were stopped. The Jesuits were annexed to the parish clergy (clergy as a special class of the Church, distinct from the laity). However, for various reasons, the Society continued to exist in some countries: in China and India, where several missions remained, in Prussia and, above all, in Russia, where Catherine II refused to publish the papal decree. Much effort was made by the Jesuit Society on the territory of the Russian Empire so that it could continue to exist and operate.

Intellectual activity continues, among other things, new periodicals are created. It is necessary, in particular, to note the French magazine “Etudes”, founded in 1856 by Father Ivan Xavier Gagarin. Centers for social research are being created to study new social phenomena and influence them.

In 1903, the Jesuits created the Action Populaire organization to promote change in social and international structures and to help the workers and peasant masses in their collective development. Many Jesuits are also involved in basic research in the natural sciences, which boomed in the 20th century. Of these scientists, the most famous is paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Jesuits also work in the world of mass communication. By the way, they have been working at Vatican Radio from the time of its founding to the present day.

The Second World War became a transition period for the Society, as well as for the whole world. In the post-war period, new beginnings arise. The Jesuits are involved in creating a "work mission": priests work in the factory to share the conditions in which the workers live and to make the Church present where there was none. Society has come to the need to modify its way of activity. In 1965, the 31st General Congregation convened, elected a new General, Father Pedro Arrupe, and considered some necessary changes. Ten years later, Father Pedro Arrupe decides to convene the 32nd General Congregation to reflect more deeply on the mission of the Society in today's world. This Congregation, having affirmed in its decrees the paramount importance of the mission of “service of faith,” put forward another task - the participation of the Order in the struggle for justice in the world. And earlier, many members of the Society of Jesus, as if going beyond the usual limits of their already diverse vocation, were involved in various spheres of social activity to establish a more just social order and protect human rights. But what in the past was considered the work of individual members, now, after the official decrees of the Congregation, became the ecclesiastical mission of the Order along with the mission of opposing atheism. Therefore, the 4th decree adopted by this Congregation is entitled: “Our mission today: serving the faith and promoting justice.”

And today, the activities of the Jesuits are not limited to any particular field, although priority is given to pedagogical activities at all levels. In addition, they preach, lead religious institutions and parish life, are engaged in missionary activities in their own country and abroad, scientific research, publishing newspapers addressed to a wide range of readers and special religious magazines, activities on television and radio, and They also work in agricultural and technical schools established by the order. For the first time in the history of the Church, a religious order combined in its ministry two missions: the defense of faith and the defense of human dignity in all parts of the world, among all peoples, regardless of religion, culture, political system, race

The mysterious and controversial history of the Jesuits. The order, which began with ten people, based on “evangelical poverty” and “the return to the fold of the church of those who had fallen away,” changed the course of history. Yes, there were intrigues at the courts, and the “end justifies the means” was used, and Protestants were heretics for a long time. But... they not only built an education system, created periodicals, worked in various media, they carried, and still carry, Christian values. And at the same time they lay them at the foundation of children’s lives. The Jesuits, as missionaries, reached places where for a long time no other Christians had reached them. Yes, they had strict centralization and complete unconditional subordination, but they had an idea and a goal. They were not afraid of the changes that were happening around them, the “society of Jesus” was changing then too, the changes in the second half of the twentieth century especially show this.

Don't we have anything to learn from them? Right now, when “agents of influence” of the ideas of homosexuality, permissiveness and tolerance are penetrating the education system, newspapers, magazines, television, cinema and literature, when there are shootings in American schools, and Slavic teenagers can easily set a passerby on fire in the “eternal flame”, as it was recently. And we won't do anything? We won’t go to schools, write books, educate those who could simply be in their place (at school, at university, in Hollywood, in parliament) and do their job, without “bending under the changing world”?

IN VICTORY magazine, April 2008

1. Who are the Jesuits and what do they do?

The Jesuits are a male monastic order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola and confirmed by Pope Paul III. The Order was named after Jesus “for the service of God alone and His Church” (“Constitutions of the Society of Jesus”). Among the Jesuits were missionaries, teachers, confessors, scientists, doctors, lawyers, astronomers, carpenters, poets, and administrators. Jesuits always go where the Church needs them most. Members of the Society can be found on every continent, in almost every country, and everywhere they care for the people of God and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who do not know Him.

2. What do the abbreviations SJ and OI mean?
SJ: Societas Jesu (Latin), Society of Jesus (English)
OI: Society of Jesus. The unofficial name is Jesuits.

3. How many Jesuits are there in the world?
Currently, the Society of Jesus has more than 16 thousand members (72% priests, 15% brothers, 13% scholastics). This is the largest monastic order of the Catholic Church.

4. How long does it take to become a Jesuit?
From the moment of entering the novitiate to the last vows, approximately 15 - 20 years pass.

5. Are there age restrictions?
The usual age of candidates is from 18 to 35 years.

6. What are the requirements for candidates to join the Society of Jesus?
To enter the Society of Jesus, a candidate must have been a member of the Catholic Church for at least three years. What is required of him is a sincere desire to serve God and the people of God. He must be prepared for long-term formation (spiritual preparation and academic training). He is required to be willing to work with people of different backgrounds, ages, and all kinds of ministry in different parts of the world. The candidate is expected to desire to become a person of prayer with a deep and sincere relationship to Christ and the Church. He must be an active member of his local church community, regularly attending Mass and participating in the life of the parish.

7. What is the procedure for joining the Society of Jesus?
Usually, before joining, candidates maintain regular contact with the Jesuits, with the officer in charge of vocations or with a spiritual director. In our region, a candidate must undergo a prenovitiate before entering the novitiate. This allows the Society and the candidate to get to know each other better so that the decision, whatever it may be, is made consciously.

8. What will I do if I become a Jesuit?
Jesuits are people of missions. The regional superior entrusts each person with a specific task (or tasks), taking into account, on the one hand, his abilities, interests and limitations, and, on the other hand, the needs of the Society of Jesus related to the fulfillment of the mission received from the Church.

9. Do Jesuits live in a community or alone?
Typically, Jesuits live in a community led by a superior. In exceptional situations, due to apostolic needs, a Jesuit has to live alone.

10. What is the difference between a diocesan priest and a member priest of an order?
A diocesan priest binds himself to a particular diocese, promising obedience to its bishop. A priest belonging to an order binds himself to the charism of that order. He takes vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and lives in community. He lives according to the spirituality of his order.

11. How do Jesuits pray?
The Jesuits do not have any special or regulated prayer practices. Each day, at the most appropriate time, the Jesuit performs prayer and examination of conscience.

12. Do Jesuits wear cassocks?
Jesuits are free from wearing monastic or clerical robes. Only when necessary and when required by the fulfillment of the mission, members of the Society of Jesus may wear formal ecclesiastical clothing.

What's happened…

13. ... vows?
It is a promise made to God for a certain period of time or for life and concerns the observance of the gospel counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. These three vows - poverty, chastity and obedience - are taken by all monastics, not only Jesuits.

14. ... first vows?
These are vows that are taken for the first time, that is, after the end of the novitiate. The first vows of the Jesuits are also “eternal”, i.e. permanent, although until the formation is completed they are updated every six months.

15. ... last vows?
These are vows that are taken after completion of formation, that is, after 15-20 years of life in the Society.

16. ..."the fourth vow"?
This is the vow of obedience to the Pope "in matters of missions", which is one of the final vows of the Jesuits. This vow does not mean, as many believe, blind obedience to the Pontiff in everything, but only a readiness to accept any apostolic mission from him.

Who are they…

17. ... novices or novices?
These are Jesuits who are at the first stage of the Jesuit formation - in the novitiate. For two years, Jesuit novices devote themselves to prayer, community life, penetrate into the secrets of Ignatian spirituality, and try themselves in apostolic service.

18. ... scholastics?
From lat. scholasticus - student. These are Jesuits who undergo formation followed by ordination to the priesthood.

19. ... brothers?
Jesuits who serve the Church in the Society of Jesus without being priests.

20. ...professions?
From lat. professio - confession, public statement. These are Jesuit priests who have taken their final vows.

21. Why do the Jesuits say that they are not monks?
In the terminology of the Catholic Church, a distinction is made between “monks” (Latin monachos), leading a contemplative (prayerful) lifestyle, tied to a place - their monastery, and “monastics” (Latin religiosus), leading an apostolic life, that is, an active one. Members of the Society of Jesus are among the latter.

22. The order is headed by a “general”. Is this a sign of the Society's military organization?
The word "general" is in this case a shortening of the term "principal general." Therefore, it has nothing to do with military terminology.

23. Spiritual exercises
Spiritual Exercises is a book written by the founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius of Loyola. They were given to us as guidance for achieving spiritual goals. The spiritual exercises are divided into four weeks, each with a specific purpose and subject.

24. Recognizing Spirits
This is a special practice, the meaning of which is awareness, careful consideration and evaluation of the movements of the soul. Its specificity is based on the experience of Spiritual Exercises and should be considered in this context.

Today, many people hear the word “Jesuit”; its meaning has long since acquired additional dimensions, denoting not only belonging to one of the most famous and still influential orders of the Catholic Church, but also a cunning and resourceful person who cannot be trusted. However, these “dogs of the Lord” themselves prompted this, creating an essentially unique system, extremely simple in its core, but acquiring a very ingenious and interesting form.

Jesuit, who is this? A little history

Like many, it has its own founder, who is currently canonized. The history of the Jesuits goes back more than one century, which began in the first half of the 15th century, when the Spanish knight-dreamer Ignatius of Loyola decided to radically change his life and devote his remaining years to issues of the church, religion, faith, and create a kind of army of spiritual knights. And if at the beginning of the journey almost no one knew what each Jesuit was, who he was, and what the goals of the entire order were, now it is impossible not to notice their trace in the history of all subsequent eras, not only for a professional historian or clergyman, but also for an amateur. to an amateur.

Origins of the order

The “dogs of the Lord” also have their own history. originated in 1534, when its founder Loyola, together with his faithful friends and spiritual knights, took vows of poverty, chastity and service for the glory of the Church, and three years later they took orders and became preachers, firmly deciding to follow the path of converting infidels and caring for them by believers . By 1539, the priests of this order (the future) were already in Rome, where they attracted everyone's attention with their ideas and faith in them, which was unique during the decline of the monasteries and the Catholic Church itself as a whole. Perhaps it was precisely the not-so-favorable position of the latter that prompted Pope Paul III to quickly give the green light to the official creation of the order, and subsequently to patronize in every possible way those who called themselves the Society of Jesus, but in reality became soldiers of Christ in every sense.

Personnel training

However, getting into the ranks of the Jesuits was easy, perhaps, only at the very beginning. Visionary churchmen quickly realized that information rules the world, and they spared no time in training their adherents. That is why they taught for at least 12 years: first, at least two years of novitiate or obedience. This was followed by the adoption of standard monastic vows: obedience, mendicancy and celibacy, another two years of learning languages - Latin, ancient Greek (with mandatory reading of ancient authors - of course, in the original), a year of exact sciences (mathematics, physics). Next came philosophy, and only then for another 4 years the novices studied church history, theology, law, becoming coadjutors (clergy with the right to return to secular life). Only the zeal for study, diligence, natural abilities and successful final exams demonstrated throughout all stages made it possible to proudly declare that yesterday’s student of the college is now a Jesuit priest, with all the rights and responsibilities.

Last Vow

Now it was possible to take the fourth and final vow, which it was no longer possible to refuse until the end of one’s days - the vow of unquestioning submission to the pope and only to him. The Jesuits did not waste time on trifles and obeyed exclusively the charter of the order or directly to the pontiff. They did not recognize any other authority over themselves.

Prevalence and elimination

It took the Order just over a century to weave its networks both in the European states of that time, as well as in China, Japan, India, Paraguay, the Philippines, and did not forget to settle in Imperial Russia, which turned out to be very far-sighted. When in 1773 Pope Clement XIV was forced to make a strong-willed decision and ban the Society of Jesus everywhere with the bull Dominus ac Redemptor Noster, only Catherine II did not want to listen and allowed the Jesuits to continue their activities in the territory subject to the empress. The abolition of the order itself lasted four decades, during which they were included in the parish clergy. But already in 1814, the Jesuits regained their rights and regalia.

Charter and discipline

The Jesuit charter consisted of 9 points, the essence of which was that its participants, in addition to the obligatory monastic oaths, also took a vow of unquestioning obedience to the abbot of the society, as well as the head of the Catholic Church. Moreover, there was virtually no way to retreat - by becoming a Jesuit, a person lost the right to independently dispose of himself and was one of the links in a great system, which, however, worked flawlessly.

The order was also distinguished by very strict discipline and strict centralization, within the framework of which supreme power was in the hands of the general (from “general mentor”, not to be confused with the military), who was still unofficially considered the “black pope” and was elected for life.

Role in the educational process

One of the main tasks that the Jesuits set for themselves and successfully implemented was the numerous educational institutions created in almost all missions. Thus, it was the Jesuit college that prepared for itself educated and well-trained novices, whom many years of “drilling” turned into obedient dolls in the hands of the leadership. By the way, by the end of the 18th century, most of the higher and secondary educational institutions in Europe were under their constant control.

How to get away with it - learning from the Jesuits

But the Jesuits are remembered not only for their good intentions and educational activities, but also for their original theory, which allows one to be “justified” when committing any actions, even very, very sinful ones, it is enough just to believe that this was done in the name of another, good goal. You could also use a “mental slip” and make false promises. Therefore, it is not surprising that the question: “Jesuit - who is this?” - one could hear in response that this is a liar weaving a network of intrigues.

Today's day in the life of the order

Centuries have passed, Ignatius of Loyola has long been canonized and canonized, and the current Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) is precisely a representative of this order. In addition, there are about 17.7 thousand Jesuits in the world, who are still subject to strict discipline and hierarchy. Employees of the Catholic Church are trained in special colleges controlled by the Society of Jesus. However, only time changes, people remain the same. And now practically no one asks the question of who a Jesuit is, since everyone knows the answer.