Society of Jesus

male religious institute of the Roman Catholic Church

The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu, S.J. and S.I. or SJ, SI ) is a Roman Catholic Church religious order whose members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope, because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a priest.

Society of Jesus
AbbreviationSJ, Jesuits
MottoAd maiorem Dei gloriam
Formation1540
TypeRoman Catholic religious order
HeadquartersChurch of the Gesu (Mother Church), General Curia (administration)
Location
  • Rome, Italy
Coordinates41°54′4.9″N 12°27′38.2″E / 41.901361°N 12.460611°E / 41.901361; 12.460611
Arturo Sosa
Key people
Ignatius of Loyola—founder
Main organ
General Curia
Staff
19,216[1]
Websitewww.sjweb.info
Ignatius Loyola

Jesuits are the largest male religious order of the Roman Catholic Church with 19,216 members (13,491 priests, 3,049 scholastic students, 1,810 brothers and 866 novices).

The Society of Jesus is consecrated under the patronage of the Madonna Della Strada. It is led by a Superior General, currently Arturo Sosa.[2][3]

The headquarters of the society, its General Curia, is in Rome.[4]

Within the Catholic Church, there has been a sometimes tense relationship between Jesuits and the Vatican. This is due to questioning of official Church teaching and papal directives, such as those on abortion,[5][6] birth control,[7][8][9][10] women deacons,[11] homosexuality, and liberation theology.[12][13] However, as of 2013, the current Pope, Pope Francis, is a Jesuit himself.

References

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  1. Curia Generalis, Society of Jesus (7 May 2007). "News from the Curia (Vol. 11, N. 9)". The Jesuit Portal – Society of Jesus Homepage. Archived from the original on 18 March 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012. The annual statistics of the Society for 2006 have been compiled and will be mailed to the Provinces within a few days. As of January 1, 2007 the number of Jesuits in the world was 19,216 (364 fewer than in 2005)...
  2. "News on the elections of the new Superior General". Sjweb.info. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  3. "africa.reuters.com, Spaniard becomes Jesuits' new "black pope"". Africa.reuters.com. 2009-02-09. Archived from the original on 2009-01-03. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  4. "Curia Generalizia of the Society of Jesus". Sjweb.info. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
  5. John F. Kavanaugh (15 December 2008). "Abortion Absolutists". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  6. Dennis O’Brien (30 May 2005). "No to Abortion:Posture, Not Policy". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  7. Norbert J. Rigali, S.J. (23 September 2000). "Words and Contraception". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  8. Richard A. McCormick (17 July 1993). "'Humanae Vitae' 25 Years Later". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  9. Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J. (28 September 1968). "Karl Rahner on 'Humanae Vitae'". America. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  10. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. & various correspondents (31 March 2009). "Pope, Condoms and AIDS". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2011. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  11. Phyllis Zagano (17 February 2003). "Catholic Women Deacons". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  12. James Martin, S.J. (21 November 2008). "Jesuit General: Liberation Theology "Courageous"". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  13. James Martin, S.J. (29 August 2010). "Glenn Beck and Liberation Theology". America. Retrieved 2 August 2011.

Other websites

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Jesuit documents

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Jesuit websites

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