Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu/Jesu (S.J.) in Latin) is a Christian religious order of the Roman Catholic Church in direct service to the Pope. Its members, known as Jesuits since the Protestant Reformation, have been called "Footsoldiers of the Pope" in part because the Society's founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque nobleman and soldier before his conversion. Today, Jesuits number over 20,000 and comprise the largest religious order in the Catholic Church. Jesuit priests and brothers are engaged in ministries in 112 nations on six continents. Their work is focused on education and intellectual contributions, primarily at colleges and universities.

Jesuits today

The Jesuits today represent the largest religious order in the Catholic Church, with over 20,000 members serving in 112 nations on six continents. The current Superior General of the Jesuits is Peter Hans Kolvenbach. The Society is characterized by its ministries in the fields of missionary work, human rights, social justice and, most notably, higher education. It operates colleges and universities in various countries around the world and is particularly active in the Philippines and India. In the United States alone, it maintains over 50 colleges, universities and high schools. In Latin America, Jesuits have had significant influence in the development of liberation theology, a movement of which Pope John Paul II condemned several fundamental aspects.

Related Topics:
Religious order - Superior General - Peter Hans Kolvenbach - Missionary - Human rights - Social justice - Higher education - Philippines - India - Liberation theology - Pope John Paul II

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Under Superior General Pedro Arrupe, social justice and the preferential option for the poor emerged as dominant themes of the work of the Jesuits. Nearly a decade after the assassination of Bishop Oscar Romero, on November 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests; Ignacio Ellacuria, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, Juan Ramon Moreno, and Amado Lopez; their housekeeper, Elba Ramos, and her daughter, Celia Marisela Ramos, were murdered by the Salvadoran military on the campus of the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador. Due to their unwavering defense of the poor, they had been labeled as subversives by the Salvadorian government. The assassinations galvanized the Society's peace and justice movements, including annual protests at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the assassins were trained under US government sponsorship.

Related Topics:
Pedro Arrupe - Social justice - Assassination - Oscar Romero - November 16 - 1989 - Ignacio Ellacuria - Segundo Montes - Ignacio Martin-Baro - Joaquin Lopez y Lopez - Juan Ramon Moreno - Amado Lopez - Salvadoran - San Salvador, El Salvador - School of the Americas - Fort Benning, Georgia

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In 2002, Boston College president William P. Leahy, SJ, initiated the Church in the 21st Century program as a means of moving the Church "from crisis to renewal." The initiative has provided the Society with a platform for examining issues brought about by the worldwide Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, including the priesthood, celibacy, sexuality, women's roles, and the role of the laity.

Related Topics:
2002 - Boston College - William P. Leahy - Church in the 21st Century - Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal - Priesthood - Celibacy - Sexuality - Laity

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In April 2005, Thomas J. Reese, SJ, editor of the American Jesuit weekly magazine America, resigned at the request of the Society. The move was widely published in the media as the result of pressure from the Vatican, following years of criticism by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on articles touching subjects such as HIV/AIDS, religious pluralism, homosexuality and the right of life for the unborn. Reese is currently on a year-long sabbatical at Santa Clara University.

Related Topics:
Thomas J. Reese - America - Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - HIV/AIDS - Homosexuality - Santa Clara University

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