Introduction
The
birth of the Society of Jesus, was one of the greatest boons that church ever
received, in troubled times. Having cornered by the reformation thinkers, it
was the society, which came to its rescue, with Counter Reformation move.
Society was not the work of the human hands as Pope Julius in 1550, while
approving the formula of its institute said, ‘The finger of God is here’. No doubt, Society of Jesus was the work of
the eternal master. Can man suppress or destroy what God has willed and built?
Yet such an attempt from the Monarchs and the leaders of the various nations
was made, only to resurrect this least society, to come alive with greater
zest, to work for the kingdom. Jonathan Wright in his ‘God’s Soldiers’
quotes one such sayings, “They must be
rooted out. But the root was not exterminated fully. A stalk was left that
sprouted and grew and developed until it became the mighty tree it once had
been”, which summarizes the painful yet effective and fruitful journey of
the society. As a seed
falls into the ground and dies, only to receive new life, so was the
suppression of the Society of Jesus. Suppression did not succeed in uprooting
it from the face of the earth as desired by the powerful, rather, it was
resurrected in the form of restoration. Today the resurrected society, the same
society that was started by St Ignatius, is the voice of the voiceless, shepherd
of the faithful and a beacon of hope to those in dark.
1.1 Suppression of the
Society
“Francis Borgia’s prophetic words came
true: ‘Like lambs have we crept into power, like wolves have we used it, like
dogs shall we be driven out, but like eagles shall we renew our youth’.”[1]
On
21st July, 1773, when the document suppressing the society was
signed, it was said that the society ‘ is
suppressed, dismissed, dissolved, and abolished for all eternity.’ This
speaks volumes of the wrath of the ruling class towards the Society of Jesus,
then. The reason is nothing but society’s commitment to the marginalized and
the oppressed of the society. Society remained true to its charism, in its
preferential option for the poor, which meant them, pay the price, in the form of suppression.
On
August 16th, the document on suppressing the society was
promulgated. But there was a condition. The bull of suppression would come to
effect only when the Bishops, gather all the Jesuits of their territory and read it, in
their presence, and not from the very moment it was approved.
Society
of Jesus, as I said earlier, was only a tool in the hands of the Lord, an
effective instrument in serving the church. The bull on suppressing the society
did not come to effect in Russia. Catherine III was an admirer of Jesuit education.
Though belonged to orthodox sect, she wanted Jesuits to work in her territory.
Thus she made sure that, neither Bishops met each other nor the Jesuits in
common. So the society was not suppressed in Russia as per the norm. But
Jesuits in Russia had a conscience problem. Thus they asked for the permission
to change the name of their society, but the empress rejected this offer.
Society of Jesus remained alive.
In
the mean time the new Pope who came to office was Pope Pius IV, who was against
the suppression of the society from the very beginning.
At
this point it’s good to note that before the suppression of the society, in
India, there were vibrant Jesuit missions. The suppression of the society left,
thousands of new converts ( faithful), like sheep without a shepherd. History
says, many in the absence of their instructors of faith, turned back to their
earlier practices. Others waited eagerly, with hope for the return of their
beloved Jesuit Fathers.
Those
were the days when the kings and the monarchs were extremely powerful. Even
Pope wasn’t free enough to exercise his powers. Thus though Pope Pius IV wanted
to renew the church and restore the society, he could not.
1.2 Process of
Restoration
Meantime
some members of the society in Russia joined the diocese, owing to their
problem of conscience. Realizing the gravity of the problem, empress sent a
delegate to Rome. Pope happily approved the society in Russia, but orally.
Now
the society being approved and knowing that the surviving lot of Jesuits was
aging, they felt the need for the novitiate. Thus the empress decided to send a
bishop to Rome, asking for all the canonical powers in Russia, to be given to
him. And if the Pope doesn’t agree to this, she placed the threat of abolishing
the Catholic Church from Russia. Pope bestowed all the necessary powers on the
bishop and thus the permission to begin the Jesuit novitiate in Russia was
granted. Young men, not only from Russia, but from various parts of Europe,
entered the society.
Let’s
not forget the quiet work of Joseph Pignatelli, known as the second founder of
the society, who kept enthusing the surviving Jesuits and held their spirits
together. For him being an ordinary Jesuit meant more than any other office in
the church. He gladly refused the offer to be a cardinal, provided he denounced
the Jesuit order. He was the first
novice director of the new novitiate.
1789
was the time of French revolution, which
brought disaster into the lives of the
many European nobles and also to the church. Meantime the enlightenment era
gave extreme prominence to reason, saying, ‘whatever is not in the realm of
reason, is not true’. Empirical proof was seen as the ultimate proof for everything.
Thus church was found as an enemy to freedom and progress, as it focuses on
things and matters that do not limit themselves to the realm of reason. Thus
the best way found was to remove or abolish it.
Jesuits
in Russia and their education was seen as the only answer to this crisis. Duke
Ferdinand of Pharma sent word to empress Catherine asking, ‘ can you please send me the seeds of the
precious plant which you have protected and continued to grow, so that I can
sow it in my kingdom too.’ Thus three Jesuits were sent there. In 1805,
province of Italy was formed and Pignatelli became the vice-provincial.
Europe
was in crisis and in 1799 Napoleon came to power. He took Pope Pius VI as
prisoner, who had plans to restore the society. He died in the exile. Pius VII
– a Benedictine became the next Pope. From the very beginning, he made it clear
that he wanted to restore the society. He too was exiled by Napoleon. Nepolean lost
the battle in Waterloo and in 1814 the Pope was released. He came to Rome in
May and immediately met the Jesuit Superior. (Meantime Pignatelli died in 1811). Pope told the
superior that he publicly wants to restore the society on 31st July,
1814. Since the document on the restoration wasn’t ready in time, they chose
the Sunday after, for the event. Thus on 7th August, 1814, with the
bull, ‘ Sollicitudo Omnitudo Ecclesiae’.
“The bull began like this:
With one voice the Catholic world demands the reestablishment of the Company of
Jesus. We would believe ourselves guilty before God of great error if, among
these great dangers to the Christian Republic, we neglected the help granted us
by God’s special providence, and if, placed in Peter’s boat, rocked and
assailed by continual storms, we refused to make use of vigorous and tested
branches which offer themselves spontaneously to break the force of a sea that
threatens us at every moment with shipwreck and death. Resolved by so many and such
powerful motives, we have decided to do today what we would have wished to do
at the beginning of our Pontificate. . . .”
The
question now was, whether the restored society was the same as the old one or
altogether a new society? Pope offered mass in the chapel of Gesu and affirmed
that, ‘You are the continuation of the
same religious order founded by St Ignatius of Loyola and not a new order.’
The suppression which was once willed for whole of eternity lasted hardly 50
years.
“The Pope called them ‘the glory of the Church’ and asserted
that he would be guilty of serious sin if he were not to make use of them for
the good of the Church. He exhorted the Jesuits to be true to their Founder St
Ignatius and his rich legacy.”[2]
I personally still feel thrilled to think of
those 600 aged Jesuits coming together from Russia and Italy, for the
restoration. Their hope for the society, rising from the ashes, did not go in
vain. When the society was suppressed there were 23,000 Jesuits and during the
restoration, the number was 600, yet with the same ferver and enthusiasm.
1.3 How can we
celebrate and live the restoration today?
I
do not have many things to say in this regard. To put in simple terms – we need
to read the signs of the time and learn to respond to them effectively. I would
like to restrict my thinking to province level here.
·
We, as a province are involved, in
several apostolates. First and foremost, we need to keep a check on the quality of our service and the purity of intention in what we do.
·
We have many qualified men, who are
competent in their field, at the same time disconnected from other works and
vision of the province. We need give a serious thought, in becoming Ignatian
‘Contemplatives in action’ and persons with
holistic view and integrated persons. I too have a struggle in this
regard in my own personal life.
·
As I said earlier about reading the
signs of the time, here I would like to mention a few pressing needs in the
state, I believe, it’s worth having a
look at:
Ø Work
for the upliftment of Devdasis, children in bonded labour, prudent war against
caste system, health issues such as people affected with HIV etc. ( in
Missions)
Ø Need
to focus on the migrants as we see a large number of migrants in cities these days.
Ø More
focus and training on health and hygiene and ecology.
Ø Need
to influence through media, so as to combat rising political and social threat
to the minorities and the downtrodden.
·
Depth and creativity in the existing
works such as retreat apostolate, education, renewal centers etc.
·
Youth Group and its initiatives with
regard to training students in various soft skills around the province is a
great initiative, in living the spirit of the restored society.
·
We still lack in our province, the
people who are capable of influencing at the level of policy making, which we can very much see in
Madurai and some other provinces.
·
I wish to see few more Cedric Prakshs, Ravi Sagars and Ambrose
Pintos who dare to be different and challenge the unjust structures, in
their own unique ways.
·
We see people’s movements to some
extents in our missions. We need to do it more and more in our institutions
too. Need to create organizations and groups in our schools and colleges to
work on various causes and make sure that the participation of the student in
the cause doesn’t end with the completion of the studies in the institution but
continues.
1.4 Reflections:
1.
Society was not the work of human hands.
Thus when St Ignatius was asked, ‘what if tomorrow, the society is suppressed?’
he could with freedom say, ‘With a short
session of prayer, I shall be fine.’ People and the authorities tried to
abolish the society from the face of the earth but it was the ‘finger of God’, I believe, that restored
the society.
2.
Suppression and restorations, is an
inevitable call to us all, to fight against the evils of- arrogance, pride and
complacency that are often deep seated within us. It is also a call to
cultivate the genuine virtues of humility, gratitude and simplicity.
3.
In today’s culture, quite often we young
Jesuits fall prey to riches, honour and power, which are some of the reasons
that caused the suppression of the society then. Thus restoration is an
invitation for simplicity of life, riches of spirituality and apostolic
service.
4.
Society did not deserve to be suppressed
but was ready. Thus it’s a reminder for us all, to be ready to receive the
cross of the time.
5.
Restoration is indeed a great lesson for
us to trust in the divine providence.
6. “For whatever we want to do for God’s greater glory
and the well-being of God’s people, we need the good will of the leaders.”[3]
Keeping this in mind, our work of service, with enthusiasm, need to move hand
in hand with great reflection, ongoing discernment and prudence
7.
Suppression and restoration calls us to
remain committed to the call of our charism, ‘Service of faith, of which
promotion of justice is an integral part’. We were suppressed largely for being
voice of the voiceless and for being God’s hand in this world and surprisingly,
we were restored for the same reasons too. Thus the fear of suppression should
never hinder our mission of working for the struggling. Restoration should
inspire us to go a step further.
8.
I
would find, having a Jesuit Pope as a sign of God’s providence and blessing, in
the bicentenary year of society’s restoration. Men tried to abolish the society
and God raised a leader to lead his flock from the same society.
Conclusion:
Suppression
and restoration of the Society of Jesus is indeed a learning experience to the
society. This event makes us even clearer,
that the finger of God is on this least society. It was also a time for the
personal renewal for every surviving Jesuit and thus, living the restoration is
an ongoing call to us all to live in a renewed spirit every moment of our life.
I would like see suppression and restoration as time of grace to sharpen our
focus, on the mission we are invited to live. Thus I conclude, saying, I shall
try to live this paschal mystery of the society, by trying to prepare myself,
to respond to the needs of the society in a genuine and a best way possible, in
the near future.
Let
not fear, but hope lead us ahead.
Bibliography
1.
Talk on suppression and restoration of
the society by Fr Freddie D’silva,SJ, in Prerana on January 4th,
2014.
2.
Navodaya – Province magazine on
restoration, September Issue.
3.
JIVAN, January, 2014.
4.
Jesuits- year book-2014.
very good anna...
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