The Black Pope_A History of the Jesuits Read online

  There are few things more touching than the appeal which Luther makes to posterity for the justice which was denied to him even by some of his Christian contemporaries. He says: “I am yet alive, and I write books, and I preach sermons, and read public lectures every day, and yet virulent minded men, adversaries and false brethren, allege my own doctrines against me, and represent me as saying what I do not say, and as believing what I do not believe. If they do this while I am alive, and while I look on and hear it, what will they do when I am dead. But how is it possible for me to stop all the mouths of the evil speakers, especially of those who set themselves to pervert my words.” No doubt Luther must have often felt that it was indeed hard for him to suffer from both sides: from the Roman Catholics against whose errors he was fighting so earnestly, and from those professing Christians, who, through jealousy or ignorance, were ever ready to attack him. Surely the path of an earnest reformer is ever one of pain. It should be said, however, that the best and noblest men of his day were his defenders, but this did not lessen the guilt of those who added to his already heavy burdens. Erasmus has left it on record that the better any man was the more he appreciated the writings of Luther. In the same letter, which is addressed to Archbishop Albert, he says: “that he (Luther) was accounted a good man even by his enemies, and that the best men were least offended by his writings.” Even the Roman Catholic historian Lingard admits that Luther’s morals were unexceptional. He says: “He (Staupitz) selected a young friar of his own order, Martin Luther, a man of an ardent mind, and unimpeached morals, and of strong prejudices against the Church of Rome.” Luther’s last words have been placed on record, and with these words we shall conclude this part of our subject.

  “O my Father, God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all consolation, I thank Thee for having revealed to me Thy well beloved Son, in whom I believe, whom I have preached and acknowledged, loved and celebrated, and whom the Pope and the impious persecute. I commend to Thee my soul. O Jesus Christ my Lord, I am quitting this earthly body, I am leaving this life, but I know that I shall abide eternally with Thee.”

  And so Luther was gathered to his fathers, and rests in the unchanging peace of God. Rome could no more threaten him with its thunders, nor could the mistrust and unkindness of false friends vex his tender heart. And his work follows him. It is still the same because it is Divine. And those who worked with him and those who worked against him know now that his teaching was the teaching of the Spirit, and that with him was the grace of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

  Chapter III

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  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

  The Foundation of the Order of Jesuits.—The service of the pope their avowed object; remarkable clause in their Constitutions on this subject; the vow of obedience to the pope not what it seems; it secures great honour and many advantages to the Jesuits, but is practically useless to the pope; no Jesuit is permitted to obey the pope unless he is ordered to do so by the General.—Practically the pope is obliged to obey the General.—Proof of this.—The General takes the place of God, and of the individual conscience towards those under him.—The Jesuit forbidden to listen to the voice of conscience.—Proof of this from the Rule.—Reasons why R.C. bishops are often unwilling to have Jesuits in their diocese.—How bishops are sometimes outwitted by them.—The Jesuits are the only religious order which has been condemned and dissolved by a pope.—The comparison between the obedience required from a soldier and from a Jesuit not well founded.—Extraordinary privileges given by some popes to the Jesuits; the popes have tied their own hands; has this been a case of hypnotism? The Jesuits allowed to make priests of persons who have not been born in lawful wedlock, etc. though this is strictly forbidden to others.—Allowed to say mass in time of interdict; these permissions give them great power; can require the secular power to enforce their excommunications, and to punish those who may oppose them in any way; unlimited spiritual and temporal power of the General.—Jesuits obliged to report on public affairs to the General.—Ignatius’ wonderful diplomacy.

  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 pre-arranged 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.

  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 key-note 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.

  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 over-rule 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 st
ifle 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 over-rides 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 characterise 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; it 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.”

  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 world’s 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 for ever. 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.

  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 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.

  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’ clientèle 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 moulded 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.