CHAPTER III. The Foundation of the Order—the Fourth Vow the Real Object—The Idea of Founding a Universal Monarchy with the Pope, nominally, the General of the Jesuits Practically, at the Head.

ON Easter Day in the year 1541, Ignatius Loyola attained the summit of his ambition and was elected general of his Order. That he should be the first general was a foregone conclusion. There were then only five members of the Society in Rome, but as all had been prearranged those who were absent had sent in their votes, so that delay or confusion was avoided.

Before we enter further on the history of the Order, we must carefully study its constitutions, its rules and the objects of its founder. It should be noted first that the Jesuits are the only religious order in the Church of Rome—and these orders are very numerous—which has lain under the ban of the Pope, or which has been expelled from any country because of its interference in politics. Hence we may expect to find that to obtain political power forms a main feature in the plans of the Society.

Ignatius Claims Obedience as to God.

A sketch, rather than a detailed statement, of the proposed objects of the new Society was drawn up by Loyola and submitted to Pope Paul III. It was confirmed by him on the 27th September, 1540. At a later period the Constitutions were greatly enlarged, but the substance remained the same. This rule required the taking of the three vows, poverty, chastity, and obedience. These vows are required in all religious orders. But the fourth vow was the real object and distinguishing mark of the new Order. By this vow every Jesuit is bound to the service of the Pope in the most solemn manner. It must have been no little inducement to the popes of that day to sanction the plans of Ignatius, when they could no longer depend on the services of the older orders, for as we have shown in the last chapter, they were fast decaying under the weight of their own corruption.

There are some remarkable points in this remarkable document. First, we find the following direction “He (the Jesuit) should always have God before his eyes, or more correctly, the aim of our Society and our rule, which is the sole way to God.” This sentence so carefully framed, is the keynote to the whole system of the Jesuit. It is self-evident that no mere man could come forward and demand on his own responsibility the abject and absolute obedience which Ignatius exacted from his disciples. It is because Ignatius claimed to represent God, not as a mere figure of speech, but literally and actually, that he claimed to be obeyed as God. No other claim would have supported his exactions, and that claim once admitted, there could be no limit to the demands on the obedience of the disciple. When once it is believed that Divine authority, and the claim is nothing short of a claim to Divine authority, is bestowed on any individual, that individual takes the place of God, and becomes the god of the person who admits the claim. It is certainly difficult to believe how any human being gifted with ordinary common sense could think that a fellow mortal like himself could possess such power, but we have to do with facts, and not with conjectures. It is a fact that thousands have believed and do believe that a mortal like themselves has such power, and exercises it by Divine right. It is quite clear that there are many circumstances in human life in which we may have a difficulty in deciding which of two courses is the better or most pleasing to God, but the Jesuit has no such difficulty, he has no choice, for his superior takes the place of God and decides for him. Hence also the demand which is made on the Jesuit for absolute and unasking obedience in the smallest as well as in the most important matters.

A Sin to Disobey a Superior.

When God speaks there can be no question as to the duty of obedience, but these men claim to speak as God, and with an equal if not almost a superior authority. We use the expression superior authority advisedly, because with the Jesuit the voice of the superior must always overrule the voice of God in the individual conscience. It is this which makes the rule of the Jesuit at once so dangerous and so unchristian. The Jesuit is taught and believes, that he commits a deadly sin if he allows himself to question for one moment the command of his superior, because the superior represents God, hence he must stifle promptly the voice which tells him that this or that is contrary to the law of God, and he must do an unholy violence to the voice of God’s spirit within him. The words which we have quoted are very remarkable, and framed with an almost diabolical ingenuity. The novice, indeed, must always “have God before his eyes.” So far the pious and unsuspicious might think there could be nothing but good, but the qualifying clause which follows overrides this, and shows the real aim of Ignatius.

The next point to be noted is the vow of obedience to the Pope, and here the remarkable cunning of Ignatius is apparent. After much expression of the readiness which should characterize each member of the Order to obey the Pope, and to go wherever he might command, a clause is inserted which limits this obedience, and renders it practically a vow of obedience to the Society. No member of the Society shall have a right to enter into communications, either with the “chair of Rome” or any other ecclesiastical authority as an individual, all must be arranged through the General. Hence this much vaunted vow of obedience to the Pope, simply resolves itself into a promise to obey the Pope if the General of the Jesuits approves of what the Pope has commanded. The tremendous power which this places in the hands of the Society is self-evident. It is a practical illustration of the old story of the bundle of sticks. The Pope cannot use one or any number of Jesuits for his own ends, if he requires the services of the Order he must ask it of the General, and he must accept these services as the General pleases. Hence the Pope must submit to the Society and keep on terms with it as a society, while the Society poses before the Catholic world as the humble servant of the Pope. The clause which limits the power of the Pope is thus worded “The power of the General shall be so unlimited that should he deem it necessary for the honour of God, he shall even be able to send back, or in other directions, those who have come direct from the Popes.”

Why Jesuits may not be Bishops.

Thus by the rules of the Order which have been approved by many Popes, the Popes actually placed themselves under the feet of the Jesuit. The name given in reproach to this Society, or rather to the head of the Society, of the Black Pope, is singularly appropriate, and the complications which such arrangements involve is unique in the history of the worlds religions. It has been said already that no member of the Order can accept any ecclesiastical position whatsoever, even at the command of the Pope, without the permission of the General, which permission is rarely given. The object of this rule is apparent. A Jesuit bishop in virtue of his ecclesiastical standing, would be the superior of his General, other members of the Order might attach themselves to him, or obtain his assistance in difficulties with their superiors. This could not be tolerated for a moment, hence every rule is framed with marvellous skill to secure the abject submission of the individual, and to prevent in advance even the least opening for relaxation.

The obedience which is exacted in a lesser or greater degree from individuals in Roman Catholic religious communities has been compared to that which is required from a soldier and has been justified by this comparison. But you cannot compare things which are not equal. There can be no comparison whatsoever between the obedience required from the Jesuit and the obedience of a soldier, which is simply an external obedience and limited to time and place. In the case of the obedience of a monk or nun, the circumstances are altogether different. The monk or nun is obliged to obey under all circumstances, and the obedience of the monk or nun is a spiritual obedience.

The soldier may criticise the actions of his superior officer, if his criticisms are not such as to interfere with the exterior obedience required from him, and on occasion he may represent to higher authority his objection or suggestion. He is not bound to internal agreement with his officers, though for the time being he is obliged to obey their lawful commands, far less is he told that obedience can be exacted from him under pain of eternal damnation. It is the spiritual element in the obedience required in the church of Rome which makes it a bondage too heavy to be born by all but those who can believe that a mere man has the authority of the Eternal God.

The Jesuit once bound by his vow is bound forever. No Pope may sign his release. No Jesuit may confess to any priest who is not a member of his order. It is not altogether unusual for a member of one religious order in the church of Rome to pass to another order. Many difficulties are put in his way, but still such change is made from time to time, especially, or perhaps exclusively, when the monk or nun wishes to go from a lower to a higher order — the higher order being in all cases the more strict as to discipline. But in the case of the Jesuit this is not permitted, with the exception of the Carthusian Order, the vow of perpetual silence observed there being the cause of the permission, as the Jesuit would have no opportunity of exposing evils, or grievances, which he may have experienced in his former life.

Why Bishops dislike Jesuits.

But one of the most important and diplomatic rules of the Order is the one which forbids the interference of any ecclesiastical authority whatsoever in the affairs of the Jesuits. The bishop of every Roman Catholic diocese is practically the Pope of the various religious orders in his diocese, but over the Jesuit he has no control whatsoever. He dare not enter the Jesuit monastery except as an invited guest. The Jesuit has no need to ask his permission to say mass, or to hear confessions. All the personal and jealously guarded powers of the bishop are of no account whatsoever. Hence it is that the Jesuit often finds it so difficult to obtain a place in any diocese. A bishop can generally prevent the Jesuits from establishing themselves in his diocese, but once established he cannot expel them. An impecunious (penniless) bishop may accept a very liberal consideration for permission to found a college under Jesuit management in his pastoral precincts, but the impecunious bishop generally finds that while there have been two parties to the contract, when the contract is once signed, only one party benefits.

Hence the dislike which has been manifested even openly by many bishops to this Order. Another privilege which was granted to the Society was that of being allowed to say mass during an interdict, a privilege which was of immense importance to the Jesuits in the middle ages. All the ordinary rules of the Roman Catholic Church were, in fact, dispensed in their favour. Bishops were ordered to ordain anyone who might be presented to them by the fathers, without further examination or ceremony. The Church and the services of the Church were placed at their disposal, and none dare gainsay them, while they only gave in return the very doubtful benefit of establishing colleges, when they took care to secure for themselves all the best pupils in the district. They were to pay no taxes or dues, but were permitted to take all they could get, and to keep all they got, other ecclesiastical privileges or laws to the contrary being suspended in their favour. All donations of land, or money, or houses are at once their property, and the Pope binds himself to this at the time of the grant without knowledge of what is granted. Truly the Spanish knight was by no means deficient in worldly wisdom.

No Questions Asked.

The amount of exceptions and favours granted to this Order by the infallible bulls of infallible popes is something which can hardly be understood by those who are not familiar with the intricacies of Roman Catholic canon law and observance. One most important permission was that which allowed the Jesuits to receive into their order those who might be the offspring of adultery or incest. It is a strict rule, on the whole faithfully observed in the Roman Church, that no person can be ordained priest who has not been born in lawful wedlock, the reason being the high character attributed to the priestly office, nor could anyone be ordained who has any notable physical deficiency. But for the Jesuit all this was dispensed, nor can there be any doubt that just as Ignatius Loyola saw the immense gain to be secured when he opened a house for the mistresses of the Roman nobles and ecclesiastics, he saw also that the illegitimate offspring of the Jesuits clientéle would prove an immense source of income to his Order. The progenitor of such offspring would gladly give considerable amounts of money, or grants of houses or lands, to have their children thus provided for, and no questions asked.

But the great means through which Loyola expected to gain power was the education of youth. Hence he obtained permission and authorisations which all tended to strengthen his hands in this direction. His Order was empowered to send professors to any university, and to give lectures there no matter what objection might be made by the existing authorities. Not content with all these advantages, his keen knowledge of human nature and extraordinary worldly wisdom quickened his perceptions, and he soon perceived that these favours would excite both jealousy and a perfectly natural opposition. This was also provided for in advance, just as he provided in advance the authority of the Pope to accept donations, no matter how large, of which the Pope knew nothing. All persons whatsoever were commanded to refrain from hindering, harassing, or disturbing his Society, under penalty of excommunication, and the Jesuits were empowered to call in the aid of the secular power to support them in opposing and silencing such of their Roman Catholic brethren as might interfere with their plans. The placing of such authority in the hand of any body of men was tantamount to giving them all power both in heaven and on earth. They could close the gates of heaven with a word by excommunicating those who opposed them, no matter whether justly or unjustly, and they could use the power of the earthly sword to exterminate, and compel obedience to their commands.

Ignatius certainly knew how to make the best of both worlds for the advancement of his Order. There is a manuscript collection of the sayings of Ignatius, which is well authenticated. Both the Bollandists, and the Jesuit author of the life of the saint, have quoted from it. In this collection it is stated that Ignatius, when conversing with Polanco, his confidential secretary, said, “In those who had offered themselves (to join the Society) he had looked less to purely natural goodness, than to firmness of character and ability for business.”

His disciples have followed his example. Further, he declared emphatically, according to the same reliable authority, that however valuable the connections or qualifications of a candidate might be, he would not avail himself of his services unless he discerned in him a character which could be molded to strict obedience. If Ignatius Loyola knew how to make rules for his order, he knew also how to choose those who would obey these rules.

Systematic Espionage.

It is often, and not unnaturally, supposed that theological propositions which may be used or endorsed by members of the Society of Jesuits are simply the opinion of the individual. This is a serious mistake. No individual opinions are allowed in the Society, nor, indeed, in the Church of Rome. No Jesuit dare write or publish any book which has not the full and free imprimatur of his superiors. No Roman Catholic can persevere in the publication of books, or in the assertion of opinions, which have been condemned by the Church, and even at the present day Rome is not slow to silence authors, or to condemn those of whom she does not approve.

In such a Society it was absolutely necessary that a system of espionage should be arranged and carried out systematically. Ignatius laid down the lines for this system, and trusted to human nature to do the rest. No Jesuit novice (and the novitiate lasts for many years) can receive visits from his friends, unless a superior is present, a curious commentary on the supposed happiness and freedom of the religious life. No Jesuit can read a letter or write a letter without the express permission of his superiors. To ask such a permission is an obvious humiliation, hence the end is attained, for few will voluntarily place themselves in such a position. Besides, this rule cuts off all possibility of free intercourse or of expression of unhappiness. After a time letters to friends or relatives are gradually discontinued, neither side caring to write what must be carefully inspected, and the individual stands alone. The same rule is observed in every convent and monastery. It may be asked, why do men or women submit to such unnatural restraints. The answer is simple, and will be easily understood by those who have the happy faculty of entering into mental conditions which differ from their own. The Jesuit novice believes that this sacrifice will be acceptable to God, and he enters on his career under the firm conviction that it is pleasing to God, and that the more he “conquers nature” the higher will be his place in heaven.

The power placed in the hands of the General is practically unlimited, but in order to exercise this power he must be fully informed of all that passes in every house of the Order, and in each individual soul. The Pope exercises a somewhat similar power, with this exception, that the Pope is not so minutely informed. But in the case of the Pope, while the affairs of the Church in all countries are reported to him, the reports go into the hands of the cardinals and others appointed to make digests for his use. In the case of the General, all must come directly into his hands, though he is allowed to employ confidential secretaries who aspire to his exalted position, and therefore protect the interests of the Order con amore (with love).

The Jesuits and the Freemasons.

The Jesuit Order has been always the determined opponent of the Freemasons, yet they are themselves a secret organisation practically independent of the Church, whose powers and far reaching effect exceed all that the most ambitious Freemason could desire. The superiors and rectors of all Jesuit houses are obliged to report every week to the Provincial of their province. This report is not confined to an account of the internal economy of their respective convents. They are obliged to report specially as to the exterior work of the Society in their locality, and many a good Protestant would find his character well analyzed in these reports, while the statesman, whether Catholic or Protestant, Liberal or Conservative, would see that many an action in which he supposed that he had been a free agent, had been secretly suggested through channels which he had never suspected. Evidence will be given later on this point when treating of the interference of the Jesuits in politics. The Provincial makes up his report from these reports for the General once a month, but so complete and complicated is the plan to secure knowledge of places, persons, and motives, not merely as regards members of the Order, but as regards each person of the least note in the various towns or neighbourhoods, that the inferior officers of the Society are also required to report once in three months to the General, in addition to the weekly report which they make to their local superiors.

The General and the Jesuits.

But on every check there is a counter check. Superiors, rectors, and, most important, also the masters of novices, are required to send a report to the General every three months. Thus each report can be compared, and accurate results obtained. Arrangements are made also in case the affairs reported refer to persons outside the Order, that these reports shall be so worded, that while they are perfectly clear to the General and his immediate entourage, they would convey no information to others into whose hands they might fall. It may be well to say here that these statements are not the mere assertions of ignorant or prejudiced writers. The “Institutes” or authorised rules of the Jesuit Order, were published at Prague in 1757, and contain not only the rules of the Order as authorised by the various popes who approved them, but also the decrees of general congregations. Everything is provided for, nothing has been left to chance, or future arrangement, even the possibility of the defection of the General himself is foreseen, and arrangements made to provide for such a contingency. The General is also under a certain supervision. He is not allowed to travel alone, he is provided with assistants, without whom he cannot act in certain cases, but his restrictions are few, and practically he has the absolute power of an autocrat. He can receive or dismiss at pleasure, he can promote or degrade his subjects as he thinks fit, without giving account to anyone whosoever. Furthermore, he has the most extraordinary and absolute dispensing powers, as regards the rule, and the observance of the rule. Certainly Loyola believed in autocracy, though the Society, as a body, accommodates itself to every or any mode of government in the various countries where it exists,

St. Charles Borromeo, the well known Roman Catholic saint and doctor of the Church, has made some notable observations on this subject. He says: “The superiors often do not admit the best subjects, while admitting with open arms those who are skilled in sciences, though they may be often destitute of piety or devotion.” This, how ever, was strictly in accord with the instructions given by their founder.

The Jesuit is not permitted to take his full and final vows until he has attained the age of forty five. As a consequence there are few fully professed members of the Order. There may have been more than one reason for this rule, the longer the practical novitiate the more formed the habit of obedience would become. The spiritual elevation on which the few and select Fathers are placed, would make them an object of envy to those beneath them, and there is something in human nature which leads men to value what they do not possess and to strive for its attainment, but when the object is possessed and the desire attained there will be a relaxation of their efforts.

Ac si Cadaever Esset.

Besides the rigorous regulation as to age, the rule requires that thirty one years shall have been passed in the Order before the final vows are taken, so that a Jesuit who had not entered the novitiate at a very early age, might be far older than the years specified before he could take the final vows. In the mean time he is simply the bond slave of the General, who may dismiss him at will, or retain him at pleasure. He must become a corpse in the hands of his superior, the original words of the rule are “ac si cadaever esset.” (as if he were a corpse)

When God desired to punish Nebuchadnezzar, He deprived him of his reason, and he had his dwelling with the wild asses, but when Solomon chose an understanding heart as the highest gift which God could give him, he was commended by eternal wisdom for his choice. But these men cast aside the divinest gift which God can bestow, and glory in their self-inflicted degradation.

The proud distinction chosen by Loyola of being the founder of the “Society of Jesus,” was part of a well arranged plan. There can be no question that the primary, if not the sole object of the Spanish monk, was to counteract the effects of the German Reformation, and he actually established a college in Rome which he called the German College, in which Germans were especially trained with the view of returning to their own country to reclaim those who had followed the Reformers, the keen insight of Ignatius enabling him to realise that those who were natives of Germany would obtain a hearing sooner than those who might neither understand the language nor the customs of the country. It may be said here that in the original papal bull which authorised the establishment of the Order, the number to be received was limited to sixty. Ignatius probably smiled at the restriction, well aware that unlimited leave to act as he pleased was a foregone conclusion, and would necessarily be given in a very short period. In this bull, promulgated on the 27th of September, 1540, the founders associated with Ignatius are named as the “ten dear sons, Ignatius de Loyola and Peter Faber, and James Laynez, as well as Claude le Jay and Paschal Brouet and Francis Xavier, with Alphonse Salmeron and Simon Rodriguez, John Codure, and Nicolas de Bobadilla.”

The Title Disputed in Rome.

Not only at first, but from time to time during the lifetime of Loyola, objections were made to the name which he gave to his Order. But while on some other points Ignatius stooped to conquer, on this point he remained immovable. If he had not extraordinary foresight, he may have had some . larger knowledge than his disciples of the doctrines then taught by the German reformers, and have believed that the prominent use of the name of Jesus would enable his followers to secure a hearing when all other means failed. To have had, and to have carried out such an idea, was altogether consonant with the whole plan of the Society, and others besides Ignatius have made unholy use of the sacred name of the Saviour of mankind.

One of his earliest and most trusted disciples, Father Michael Torres, implored him to yield this point, but he refused with characteristic determination. His Order was to be a company of soldiers, under the nominal command of Jesus Christ, but Christ was represented to his army by the general for the time being. He distinctly refused to allow his spiritual children to be called or in any way represented as a monastic body. They were the Pope’s soldiers, who nevertheless on occasion commanded the Pope. Orlandini, the official historian of the Order, says that the term Societas was chosen expressly because it was the best rendering of the Spanish word Compania, the technical expression for a company of soldiers under the command of a captain. This use of the name of Jesus was made a subject of special complaint by the French clergy, and the Sorbonne protested, but protested in vain, against the. presumption of any religious body in arrogating to itself the special headship and approbation of the Saviour.

Some very remarkable circumstances occurred when the title was under dispute in Rome, during the generalship of Acquaviva, and after the death of Loyola.

In the month of August, 1590, Sixtus V. intimated officially that the Order would not be allowed to continue if the name by which it had been known hitherto was not promptly changed. But such were the constitutions of the Order, as fully authorised by a previous Pope, that even the Pope himself could not make the change, the General was therefore compelled to act. So determined was the Pope that Acquaviva was prepared to yield. He drafted a document enforcing the required change, but scarcely had it reached the hands of the Pope for approval and inspection, when he died suddenly. Sixtus was succeeded by Cardinal Castagna, who ascended the pontifical throne under the title of Urban VII. It was expected that he would be even more uncompromising than his predecessor, but he survived his elevation to the chair of Peter only eleven days. His successor, Gregory XIV., was a warm friend of the Jesuits, and the remarkable death roll was closed. This Pope added notably to the already vast powers of the Order, and empowered the General to dismiss any one from it without even the semblance of a trial.

The words ad majorem Dei gloriam, which is the motto of the Order, were also imposed by the founder. The novices were taught that whatever benefited the Order promoted the glory of God, that they could only learn from their superiors what would be most for the benefit of the Order, and for the glory of God. It is quite certain that the glory of God and the glory of the Society were convertible terms in the mind of Ignatius Loyola.

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