The Black Pope_A History of the Jesuits Read online

  Ignatius had already intended to devote his Order in some special manner to the advancement and support of the Papal power, and here was a new, and to him all powerful motive for renewed fealty and effort. Hence, when taking his vows, he declared it to be his special intention to offer himself, and his followers, for the advancement and protection of the Church of Rome, and above all to the personal service of the Pope; he concluded his oath with the words which have since become the watch word of the Order. Would that they had been its guiding principle, instead of being used as a means of throwing a glamour of apparent piety over what is little better than a deliberate system of skilfully organised duplicity.

  Ad majorem Dei gloriam, the words with which Ignatius ended his vow, was re-echoed by each of his seven disciples. To this has been added the letters, I.H.S, these initials signifying Jesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus the Saviour of mankind. And yet, even while these words, so true and so Scriptural, fell from the lips of the Spanish mystic, he was doing all that mortal man could do (let us hope unconsciously), to give the glory to another which he professed himself so desirous of giving to God alone.

  The day which he chose for the commencement of his Order was the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is true that there is not even one particle of proof of this supposed assumption; but what matter. Rome has spoken; reason is no longer to be the guide of human life. It was not until many centuries had passed that Rome established this Festival authoritatively. The motive of the Festival is not far to seek. It is self-evident that unless Mary was in heaven, she could not perform all the miracles that are attributed to her intercession. It is also self-evident that unless she had a place there almost equal to that of God, she could not exercise the omnipotence with which she is credited, hence the necessity of establishing a festival which would assure the people that not only was Mary throned in heaven, but that she held the very highest place in the celestial kingdom. The legend of the Assumption of Mary has not even the least historical foundation; but this matters very little to an infallible Church, whose dictates must be accepted at the peril of the eternal salvation of the unbeliever.

  Ignatius had now actually commenced his Order. But two very important matters had been neglected. He had neither obtained the preliminary permission of a bishop, nor the final approbation of a pope. This did not concern him much, so assured was he of his own importance; but some of his followers were wiser. Ignatius now saw that the only way in which he could protect himself from the attacks of jealous religious and angry priests was to become a priest himself as soon as possible. But his health broke down again under the renewal of self-inflicted sufferings. According to his idea of religion, Christ could not save him without the help of Mary, else why take so much trouble to secure the patronage of Mary. Nor could even Mary save him without his own self-inflicted sufferings, else why had he need again and again to bring himself almost to the grave, by fasts, and vigils, and floggings. Ignatius was once more compelled to seek a southern clime, and left Paris in the spring of 1535. He took care, however, to keep his little band together, by appointing Peter Faber superior, arranging that all should meet him in Venice when their theological course should have been completed.

  When the brothers re-united, according to this arrangement, their numbers had increased, for Ignatius brought a disciple with him, and the brothers brought three promising new members from Paris. It may seem strange to say it, but it is nevertheless true that one cause of the extraordinary success of the Jesuits was the awful corruption of the Church of Rome. Rome has always claimed temporal power, and desired to rule over the kings and princes of the earth. In order to accomplish this end she has left no means unused to obtain wealth, and to influence politicians. No matter what may be said of vows of poverty, if any body of men abound in wealth, they are individually, as well as collectively, rich, and all the evils divinely predicted of those who heap up to themselves riches, at once become their portion. Again and again the Church of Rome has been all but shipwrecked by those of her sons who, living in apparent conformity to the counsels of the Gospel, have actually set those counsels at defiance. It needs scarcely to point to the lives of the saints collectively for proof of this statement, but one particular instance may be given. St. Francis of Assisi, one of the saints to whom Rome points those outside her fold with unbounded confidence, commenced his career of evangelisation with the strongest denunciation of the priests of his day. With a touch of romance, inseparable, one had almost said happily, from southern temperaments, he devoted himself to his “lady and mistress, poverty.” When imploring the blessing of the Pope for his new Order, he told his vision, in which he believed himself divinely appointed to save the Church from destruction by his renewal of Gospel teaching, which, according to this vision, had been well nigh abandoned. Ignatius, Francis, and almost every saint in the Roman calendar, have based their claim of the necessity of a new Order in the Church, on the evident corruption into which it had fallen, despite the efforts of those who had preceded them in the path of reform.

  The people heard them gladly. This was the secret of their success. The people, who suffer so much on earth, and who hope for so much in heaven! The people hear gladly what promises to them, either here or hereafter, something better than their life in this world. Even those who from temperament, or piety, envy the rich the least, are willing to hear of poverty which they are assured shall purchase wealth where alone wealth shall be abiding, of humiliation which shall secure honour, where honour will be everlasting. We do not say that Ignatius or Francis, or others who aspired to be the spiritual rulers of their people, deliberately played the rôle of deceivers, when they adapted themselves to the needs and desires of the poor, but that they did so adapt themselves is a fact which cannot be questioned.

  As the efforts of Ignatius had been so far successful, he won the toleration, if not the admiration, of his kinsfolk. It is wonderful how success ennobles a cause. He was “a rising man,” and his world appreciated him accordingly. But Ignatius was either too wise or too sincere in his idea of Christian poverty to accept from his own family the hospitality they now offered. He won the hearts of the people, and alter all it is the people who make success, by refusing to live the life of the noble, and choosing the life of the poor. He stooped to conquer. If he had then thrown in his lot with the rich and the noble, the poor would have abandoned him; but by winning the applause of the people he gained the ear of the rich. He and his followers were to be found with the sick and the leper, and this was sufficient to win for him the mighty voice of the populace.

  Ignatius Loyola was gifted with the worldly wisdom which has pre-eminently characterised his Order. He found means to win over Caraffa, afterwards Pope Paul IV, and then Archbishop of Theate. Caraffa gave him letters of recommendation to the Pope, of which Ignatius made Xavier, Leynes, and Faber the bearers. They were welcomed far more warmly than could have been expected, they received the papal blessing, and permission for the ordination of all those who had not yet been ordained, in consequence of their ignorance of theology; but what cannot a pope do? Further the Pope gave a considerable sum of money towards the expenses of the proposed mission to Palestine. But once more the plans of the ex-chevalier were defeated by circumstances. A war had broken out between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Powers, and travelling was out of the question.

  Again Ignatius gave himself and his followers to the congenial occupation of preaching. They ascended rude platforms, and with much noise and gesticulation invited men to what they called repentance. As the brothers were for the most part, absolutely ignorant of the language of the country, the work was carried on principally by shouts and gesticulations. Noise always attracts, if it does not impress, a multitude, and it is said that this preaching, if such it could be called, was not without effect.

  Ignatius now began again to make arrangements for the more specific settlement of his Order. He had many difficulties, but difficulties only stimulated him to further
efforts. There were some men of considerable ability, as well as of more than ordinary worldly wisdom amongst his followers, and they saw clearly that in order to succeed they must offer the Pope and the world something entirely new. It was now finally decided that the Order should exist only for the service of the Pope, and under his immediate direction, for the service of the Church. But it is not to be supposed that the other religious Orders, the principal of which were then the Dominicans and the Franciscans, were willing to allow a new body of men to deprive them of their prestige, or perquisites. These Orders raised a mighty outcry, and as it was always safe to show one’s zeal by accusing others of heresy, the accusation was made that Ignatius and his followers were far from being what they professed to be, and that they were actually in league with the Reformers now so active in Germany. The charge was obviously absurd; but such is human credulity that it often happens the more absurd the slander, the more readily it is believed. But Ignatius again triumphed, and triumphed finally.

  There was a terrible famine in Rome at this time, and this afforded another opportunity for the advancement of his Order. Ignatius, always alive to the tone of public opinion, saw, and used, his opportunity. He convinced the rich of his piety by his fervent appeals for money for the poor, and he convinced the poor of his regard for their interests by bestowing on them at least some of the wealth which he obtained from the rich. He also obtained great honour from all classes for his zeal for the conversion of the Jews. His method was not original. He obtained a decree from Pope Paul III, then reigning, that the Jews should not be allowed the services of a physician, no matter how serious might be their danger, unless they first accepted the ministrations of a priest. This mode of obtaining conversions proved very efficacious, and Ignatius was honoured accordingly. Thus the Society of Jesus inaugurated its career of unchristian diplomacy. Ignatius knew perfectly that such “conversions” were writ in sand. The next move of the diplomatic Jesuit was to secure the influence of the ladies of Rome. This was not difficult. His Order was new, and he must have been gifted with some special fascination of manner, which his knightly training had enhanced.

  We have already spoken of the terrible state of society at this period, and naturally, Rome being the chief ecclesiastical city, the corruption was greatest at the fountain head. Priests and people were alike sunk in the deepest debauchery. Women of nameless character made even the churches their haunt, and the place where they exhibited their meretricious charms. Luther was calling attention with trumpet tongue to the fearful condition of the city where the Pope reigned supreme, as temporal, as well as spiritual king. If he tolerated, and by tolerating encouraged such evils, how could the Church be called holy? Paul III was aroused at last. He assembled his cardinals: but the only remedy which they could suggest was to drive all the women of doubtful character out of Rome, and obviously, it was much easier to suggest this remedy than to apply it.

  But here again Ignatius saw his opportunity, and came to the rescue. He secured large sums of money from ladies of rank, whose own husbands and confessors had been probably the chief sources of the downfall of these unhappy women, and with this in hand, he proceeded to establish a home for all whom he could induce to enter it. His success was great indeed, but his plans were laid with his usual consummate skill. He carefully avoided anything that might seem degrading to these unfortunate women. He called the house which he had prepared for them a Home, and made it such. There were no restrictions, and no vows. The house was soon filled with penitents, or those who at least appeared to be such. Many, no doubt, were utterly weary of their miserable life, and thankful to find a refuge where they could live without cost to themselves, and in comparative luxury. Ignatius got the credit of having accomplished a wonderful reform, and was honoured accordingly.

  In August, 1539, Ignatius asked the approbation of the Pope for the rules of his new Order. It is the rule in the Roman Catholic Church, when anyone desires to found a new religious order, that they should first obtain the permission of their immediate ecclesiastical superior. This approval having been obtained, the work goes on tentatively for a time; eventually, if it has shown good prospect of success, it is approved by the Pope. It need scarcely be said that all this cannot be accomplished without a very large expenditure of money, in order to obtain the goodwill of the cardinals, and other officials, not, of course, as a bribe, but for “expenses.” The expenses are very considerable; but then success is secured in proportion to the outlay. Further, it is a curious fact that Rome never canonises a saint without an immense disbursement on the part of those who are interested. Some saintly personages remain uncanonised because either their relatives or their Order had not sufficient capital to invest in the necessary preliminaries. A curious question therefore arises as to the precise value of the canonisation of saints, and how far their power in heaven is proportioned to the honours paid to them on earth. Nor can it be said that this is a mere Protestant calumny. It is a Roman Catholic fact. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that masses are the one great means of delivering souls from purgatory. Now masses either are, or are not, necessary to obtain this most important end. If they are necessary why is it that the poor, who have no money, cannot have masses, while the more or less wicked rich have thousands of masses, and ought to escape from their penal abode at once?

  When the Pope had read the documents containing the rules of the new Order, he exclaimed, Digitus Dei hie est! Yet another Pope, not so many centuries later, condemned the whole scheme as an infamy, and practically the handy work of the devil. Which infallible Pope was the true prophet? But Loyola was by no means satisfied with a mere verbal approbation. “Words, mere words,” he cried, ‘‘words may be denied and explained away.” He therefore bent all his energies to secure a written approbation. After some dispute and difficulty, and after considerable opposition from at least one of the cardinals who were appointed to investigate the matter, Ignatius obtained his desire. On the 27th of September, 1540, Pope Paul III issued a special Bull commencing, Regimini militantis ecclesiæ, in which he established the Order, henceforth known as the Jesuits.

  There were two reasons why this Order was established with so little difficulty. In the first place the German Reformers were already winning souls from the forms and ceremonies of the Church, to the eternal freedom of the Gospel. The cardinals, and Roman theologians, were not without fear lest the whole fabric should fall to the ground. They are always quite as much politicians as prelates, and were, as Roman cardinals always are, very keen for the things of this world, and very wise in their generation. Here were men, whose very raison d’être was to save the Church from the overwhelming danger with which it was threatened, and who by no means blinded themselves to that danger. One of the principal sources of danger was the dissolute habits of the religious Orders. These men promised to live chaste and holy lives so that their example could be pointed out to detractors. But there was another, and a very powerful motive for this ready acquiescence. It will be remembered that Ignatius had provided a house of refuge for such of the courtesans of Rome and the neighbourhood as chose to avail themselves of it. These women were by no means the off-scouring of the populace, many of them were cast off mistresses of ecclesiastical dignitaries and nobles. The Jesuit Fathers were, of course, their confessors. Need it be said that these confessors knew the private history of hundreds, if not of thousands of prelates and princes, and that men who dared not have their secret lives exposed were very prompt to serve those who, if opposed, would soon find very pious reasons for exposing them.

  We have not space here, nor is it necessary, to give the Statutes of this Society at length. We shall only call attention to one or two important points. We then propose to glance for a moment at the work which was being accomplished at this very time by Luther and his followers. While Ignatius was calling on his disciples to place themselves under the banner of Mary, Luther was proclaiming in stentorian tones that Christ alone can save us, and that the just shall live by f
aith. Look not to saint or angel, to man or woman for your salvation, look to Christ and to Christ only. Do not believe in churches which become corrupt by the weight of their inherent fallibility, look to Christ, the Rock and Foundation Stone of the true Church, and He will never fail you. Ignatius demanded an abject and degrading obedience from his followers; Luther would have obedience to none but to Christ his Master.

  The chief obligations of the rule of Ignatius are easily distinguished. His rule has not changed with changing times or circumstances, as the rules of other Orders have done. This period of European history was a transition period for religious orders, and Ignatius saw his opportunity. The religious Orders which had suited the manner of life in previous centuries became, by degrees, less and less fitting for advancing civilisation. Men had begun to think, men had begun as a necessary consequence to criticise; they no longer took their opinions from a dominant priesthood as a child takes its mother’s milk. They asked was this or that regulation best for the general good? was this or that doctrine consonant with reason? The question came to be openly asked by many, What has Christ said? It was no longer universally asked, What has Rome said? Rome, while declaring herself infallible and unchangeable has proved her fallibility by many changes, and her mutability by alterations, both in creed and discipline, of the most important character. For example, she has quietly, but none the less completely, changed the whole character of her religious institutions in order to accommodate herself to the times. The establishment of the Jesuits was her first departure in this direction.