Introduction
As I reflect on the
suppression of the Society, I would like to begin quoting the formula of the
institute confirmed by Pope Julius III;
‘...take
to heart that he now become s member of a Society that was founded chiefly to
engage in the defence and propagation of the faith and promotion of Christian
life and principles.’
In other word, Society
of Jesus was founded to defend the church. In other words it was Counter
Reformation move, to defend the church amidst the storms of the time.
Beginning
from its initial days, the Society of Jesus had remained true to the teaching
and spirit of its founder and loyal to the Holy See. They laboured incessantly
to stay the inroads of heresy, to instil Catholic principles into the minds of
the rising generation, and to win new recruits to take the place of those who
had gone over to the enemy.
Society was not merely
a spiritual order, rather an army of the church, who would fight for the church
and train people in Christian principles.
This effectiveness of
their work brought forth the wrath of their adversaries especially the
Lutherans and Calvinists, enraged by the success of the Counter-Reformation.
They denounced the Jesuits as enemies of progress and enlightenment. These
charges were re-echoed by Jansenists and Gallicans, by infidel philosophers and
absolutist politicians and others.
By the eighteenth century, Jesuits had become one
of the most successful catholic religious orders, with over twenty two thousand
members and eight hundred educational institutions. Their position in the papal
curia gave them a certain amount of power and influence in deciding political
matters. The Jesuits also educated most of the nobility and middle classes of
Europe.
This success meant that other groups became
jealous and resentful of their power. The attempts were made from several
quarters and the authorities were brought under pressure, to eliminate this
army. Living the gospel, than mere preaching it, cost the society a real heavy
price. Owing to the storm and pressure, finally the Society of Jesus was
suppressed. I do not deny that there were a few instances of Jesuits which were
worrying, but that could have been corrected in many other ways.
Ecclesio-
Religious Reasons:
The
middle of the eighteenth century was a time when Jesuits were badly attacked by
their enemies, religiously. The Jansenists, who held a view similar to that of
predestination. This had been declared heretical by the papacy in 1653. There
were a series of letters attacking the Jesuits and accusing them of undermining
the gospels with lax morals. The Jesuits were already unpopular and the letters
only reinforced people’s views of the Jesuits as condoning theft, fornication,
adultery, murder and regicide. This added to the perception of them watering down
the Christian faith, though, it was far from truth. The Jansenists were beginning to resemble a
political rather than a religious movement.
By
the eighteenth century, the Jesuits had been accused of Pelagianism,
Nestorianism, Arianism, Socininaism, swindling unsuspecting citizens, amassing
great wealth and assassinating princes. The Jansenists also claimed that the
laxness within the Jesuits was not only due to immorality. They accused the
Jesuits of the much greater sin of heresy. The Jesuits had abandoned the
teachings of the Church Fathers in favour of a modern theology that was
humanist more than it was Christian. The Jansenists called on people to abandon
the Jesuits and return to the decent, conservative, values of the church
fathers.
The
Jesuits were also attacked for their use of Probalism. Many Jesuits had started
to live a far more lax lifestyle than their predecessors. These ‘laxist’
Jesuits demanded the right to luxuries such as tea coffee and chocolate. They
smoked tobacco, and generally did not keep their houses like a monastic house.
They also did not carry out the spiritual exercises.
They were blamed for teaching every sort of immorality and error, from
tyrannicide, magic, and Arianism, to treason, Socinianism.
Socio
- Political Reasons:
Portugal: The attack on the Jesuits began
in Portugal during the reign of Joseph Emmanuel (1750-1777). He wanted to
promote the welfare of his country, as well as to strengthen the power of the
crown. He was influenced by Joseph Sebastian. He regarded the Catholic Church
as an enemy of material progress, and the Jesuits as the worst teachers to whom
the youth of any country could be entrusted. A treaty concluded with Spain,
according to which the Spaniards were to surrender to Portugal seven of the Reductions
of Paraguay in return for San Sacramento, afforded him the long desired opportunity
of attacking the Jesuits .
Paraguay
Reductions Particularly:
The Jesuits had missions in
Paraguay. They helped the converted Indians to set up reservations, to educate
them and protect them from settlers and slave traders. The Jesuits were keen to
protect the Indians and this led to claims that they were hiding and protecting
great wealth. In 1750, Spain and Portugal signed a treaty on South America,
which meant that seven out of thirty reservations were transferred to
Portuguese land. The Portuguese told the Jesuits that they had to move the
reservations to areas where the land was worse. The Jesuits refused claiming
that such a move would be too difficult to carry out and would destroy the
community that had become built up. The Portuguese army tried to force the
move, and the Indians fought back. These actions led to the Jesuits being
blamed for the revolt. Thus Jesuits were accused of fermenting revolution,
illicit trading to build up their own wealth and the pursuit of power. The
Portuguese cardinal Saldanha carried out the inquiry. Saldanha’s report found
the Jesuits guilty of scandalous trading, despite Saldanha never having visited
the Jesuit missions in Portugal. The Jesuits were then banned from Commerce and
had their accounts confiscated. Their situation was not helped by the attempted
assassination of the King in 1758. The Jesuits were accused of being involved
in the plot and mobs began to lay siege to Jesuit houses. Finally in September
1759 a decree of banishment was issued against the Jesuits. Most of them were
arrested and despatched to the Papal States, while others of them, less
fortunate, were confined as prisoners in the jails of Portugal.
In
France:
In
France the Jesuits had many powerful friends, but they had also many able and
determined enemies. The Jansenists who controlled the Parliament of Paris, the
Rationalists, the Gallicans, and not a few of the doctors of the Sorbonne,
though divided on nearly every other issue, made common cause against the
Society.
The Jesuits had a very important mission in
the island of Martinique. The natives were employed on their large mission
lands, the fruits of which were spent in promoting the spiritual and temporal
welfare of the people.
Hand in the trade:
La Vallette(was a French jesuit clergyman, Superior of the Martinique missions,
of the Society of Jesus in France.) used to manage the transactions(in carrebean islands) with great
success, and success encouraged him to go too far. He began to borrow money to
work the large undeveloped resources of the colony. But during the outbreak of war, ships
carrying goods were captured and he suddenly became a bankrupt, for very large
sum.
When they were asked to refund, the Fathers,
on the advice of their lawyers, appealed to the Grand'chambre of the Parlement of Paris. This turned out to be an
imprudent step. This helped the society's enemies to strike at it. A commission
was appointed to examine the constitutions and privileges of the Jesuits. It
reported that the Society was dangerous to the state, hostile to the Gallican Liberties, and unlawful.
Clement XIII laboured energetically in defence
of the Jesuits, but in open disregard of his advice and his entreaties, the
decree for the suppression of the Society was passed by Parliament in 1762. In
1763 the Jesuit colleges were closed; members of the Society were required to
renounce their vows under threat of banishment, and, as hardly any members
complied with this condition, the decree of banishment was promulgated in 1764.
In
Spain:
The example of Portugal and France was
soon followed by Spain. Charles III. (1759-1788) was an able ruler, wanted to
establish industries and by favouring the introduction of foreign capital and
foreign skill. He was influenced by the liberal tendencies of the age. Popular
feeling was aroused by the favour which the king showed towards French
capitalists and artisans, and in some places ugly commotions took place. The
ministers suggested to the king that the Jesuits were behind this movement, and
were the authors of certain dangerous and inflammatory pamphlets. Secret
councils were held, as a result of which sealed instructions were issued to the
governors of all towns in which Jesuit houses were situated that on a fixed
night the Jesuits should be arrested (1767). These orders were carried out to
the letter. Close on six thousand Jesuits were taken and hurried to the coast,
where vessels were waiting to transport them to the Papal States. When this had
been accomplished a royal decree was issued suppressing the Society in Spain.
Contribution
of Clement XIV
Pope Clement XIV was demanded
to suppress the society by the powerful hands of France and Spain. In the hope
of satisfying the opponents of the Jesuits, the Pope adopted an unfriendly
attitude towards the Society, and appointed apostolic visitors to examine into
the affairs of the seminaries and colleges under its control, from most of
which, as a result of the investigation, the Jesuits were dismissed.
The
final blow for the Jesuits came in 1773 when Pope Clement XIV issued a papal
brief dissolving the order. The use of a papal brief rather than a papal bull,
suggest that the pope only took this action with reluctance. The papal brief
accuses the Jesuits of causing discord and splits in the church.
The
pope seems to have been reluctant to dissolve the Jesuits, but if he did not do
something about the Jesuits, he faced losing more power, and possibly even
control over parts of the church. In order to maintain control and unity of the
church the pope had to sacrifice the Jesuits.
A
spring in the Oasis
At
this point I remember the words of Pope Julius III, during the approval of
formula of the society in 1550, ‘There
is finger of God here.’ referring the society. Amidst the
rising resistance and opposition, there were still a few hands to come to the
rescue of the society. Catharine II. Of
Russia, however, and Frederick II. Of Prussia were impressed so favorably by
the work of the Jesuits as educators that they forbade the bishops to publish
the decree in their territories. In 1776 an agreement was arrived at between
Pius VI and Frederick II., according to which the Jesuits in Prussian territory
were to be disbanded formally and were to lay aside their dress, but they were
permitted to continue under a different name to direct the colleges which they
possessed. The Empress Catherine II of Russia continued till her death to
protect the Society. In 1778 she insisted upon the erection of a novitiate, for
which oral permission seems to have been given by Pius VI. In the other
countries many of the Jesuits laboured as secular priests, others of them
united in the congregation, known as the Fathers of the Faith (1797), and
others still in the congregation of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart. In 1803
the English Jesuit community at Stonyhurst was allowed to affiliate with the
Russian congregation; in 1804 the Society was re-established with the
permission of Pius VII in Naples, and in 1814 the Pope issued the Bull, Sollicitudo omnium Ecclesiarum formally re-establishing
the Society.
A Critical View:
- Suppressing
the Society of Jesus is no wonder, is one of the most memorable events of
the 18th century, in the church. In the common view then, the society
was holier and useful to the society than many other religious orders of
the time. But falling to the selfish minds, the society had to be
suppressed.
- Barring
a few incidents, I personally believe that the society was committed to
the formula of its institute, which cost them.
- Even
a divinely assisted venture, thus is not out of suffering. Yet the Lord
will have his own ways to take care of his work.
- Has
the suppression, in reality brought down the spirit of the society? In my
opinion, it has energized the society, and made it even more firm in its
commitment. Thus I would find, the suppression, still as a blessing rather
than a curse. Thus I would call it a divine will, which is denied by
several historians.
- Taking
a quote from GC 32, degree 4 says that the mission of the society today is
the service of faith of which promotion of Justice is an absolute
requirement. GC 34 decree on mission once again stresses its commitment to
justice. I infer from this, that society despite the struggles in the
history has not compromised with its foundational values. This makes me
feel proud to be belonged to this society. And I would still add, even if
this noble stand of ours becomes a cause to suppression, we should not be
worried, because ours is a missionary body and we need to remain faithful
to it.
Conclusion:
Society
was a noble venture in the church, which owing to the selfish humans was once
killed and buried, but God raised it up as it was his society. Rejuvenated by
its struggles, it is a voice of less to work for the least of the society. Thus
the suppression should never be seen as a negative event, rather, it should
always encourage us, Jesuits to work with even more fervour, we know now for
sure, that the finger of God is on our society; that is, our society is willed
by God and he will take care of it. On our part, it’s a call to be faithful and
committed.
Bibliography:
·
Cordeira Giulio , ‘On the Suppression of the Society of Jesus’
, Loyola Press , Chicago, 1999.
·
‘General Congregation
of SJ 32’, Anand Press, 1976.
·
‘General Congregation
of SJ 34’, Gujarath Sahithya Prakash,
1995.
·
‘The Constitutions of
the Society of Jesus’, Gujarath Sahithya Prakash, 1996.
·
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14096a.htm,
as browsed on February, 22, 2013.
·
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cat/summary/v088/88.4dooley02.html
as browsed on 27 February, 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment