Oh, Those Jesuits

 

Here’s an item on Catholic World News:

Vatican, Apr. 24 (CWNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI reminded Jesuits of their vow of loyalty to the Roman Pontiff, and urged them to meet “the Church’s most urgent current needs” in the intellectual world, during an address to leaders of the Society of Jesus on April 22.

Pope Benedict spoke after a Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s basilica by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis Xavier. About 4,000 Jesuits were in attendance, led by Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, who has led the Society of Jesus since 1983.

I love the Jesuits.  My sons have (and will be) educated by one of the finest Jesuit high schools in the US.  Our entire family have been blessed, enriched and sanctified because of our “Jesuit connection.”  These are a remarkable group of men, who since their founding in the 16th century have served the Church and mankind richly.  They have been involved in science and medicine.  They have established countries (Paraguay) and have been active in the Orient. They have been involved in the conversion of millions.  We support them with our words and prayers and trust our sons to their mission. 

However, the history of the Jesuits and the papacy is long and at times, difficult.  They have been called back to obedience on multiple occasions.  In recent times, JP II had to intervene in the governance of the Society in October 1981.  And even more recently, Rev. Thomas Reese resigned his post at “America,” a leading Jesuit magazine.  Among other items, the magazine published works including:

An essay exploring moral arguments for the approval of condoms in the context of HIV/AIDS;

Several critical analyses of the doctrinal congregation’s September 2000 document Dominus Iesus, on religious pluralism;

An editorial criticizing what America called a lack of due process in the congregation’s procedures for the investigation of theologians;

An essay about homosexual priests;

A guest essay from U.S. Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, challenging suggestions that the church should refuse Communion to Catholic politicians who do not vote as a number of bishops believe they should vote.

 

I’ve had to once lovingly “remind” one of our Jesuits that certain prayers during the Mass are reserved to the priest and cannot be, on his authority, “shared” with the faithful.

In many ways, they remind me of a group of wonderful, although sometimes naughty boys who, in the depth of their collective souls, love Jesus and His Church, but need to have their ears boxed every now and again to bring them back to back to their senses.

May God continue to bless the Society of Jesus.