Introduction
When
the church was in troubled waters, hit by the mighty waves of reformation, St
Ignatius of Loyola - a soldier saint came to its rescue, with his companions named
Jesuits. St Ignatitus was a defender of faith and the church. Down the
centuries falling prey to selfish human motives Society of Jesus was suppressed
for nearly 40 years. No wonder many might have questioned the credibility and
the purpose of Jesuit order then. Pope
Julius in 1550, while approving the formula of its institute said, ‘The finger
of God is here’. In the bicentenary year of its restoration, the church is
presented with a Jesuit Roman Pontiff. As George Pattery says, with Pope
Francis at the helm this is a Kairos time for the church and clear sign for the
Society of Jesus, that we very much belong to the church and active in our
mission of the Kingdom.[1]
