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Benedict XVI States the Unthinkable: Jesuits should Obey the Pope

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The Holy Father met with the delegates to the general congregation of the Society of Jesus on February 21 and gave them an ear full. There is no full English translation of his address to the Jesuits yet, but a CWN story reports that different news sources seem to confirm that his talk was not mere flattery:

“The themes of the salvation of all people in Christ, of sexual morality, of marriage and the family — continually discussed and questioned today — must be deepened and enlightened in the context of contemporary reality, but maintaining the harmony with the magisterium that will avoid provoking confusion and concern among the people of God,” he told them.

Pope Benedict also objected to the idea some Jesuits have that the order’s special fourth vow of obedience to the pope is limited to obeying him when he asks an individual Jesuit or the entire order to undertake a specific mission.

The pope said the “fuller meaning” of the vow, according to the thought of Jesuit founder St. Ignatius of Loyola, is “to love and serve the vicar of Christ on earth with that ‘effective and affective’ devotion that makes you his precious and irreplaceable collaborators in his service of the universal church.”

It seems funny that this would need to be explained to educated men. Or does it?

Fr Angelo

Author Fr Angelo

I am Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate, and a priest for more than twenty years. I am now studying in Rome for my licentiate in Theology.

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Join the discussion 3 Comments

  • Tina says:

    It’s not so funny when ‘educated men’ decide that they know better than the Pope on matters of the faith. It is sad that it seems that some ‘educated men’ have forgotten humility and obedience.

  • Jen A. says:

    Hallelujah! There are probably more Jesuit universities in America than any other Catholic university. Most Jesuit institutions are known for their high academic standards but not always for their high moral standards, sad to say. So, it’s about time that they are held to high moral standards …. I wonder if the Pope has ways of enforcing his words! Anyway, there are some wonderful Jesuit priests and I was fortunate enough to have some of them as professors. They were selfless men who lived in humble dorm rooms and truly cared about all of us. But, as a whole, they have become a bit too accepting of things that should be unacceptable. This is occurring at a time in young adults’ lives when they are trying to make sense of and apply the foundation that had been laid at home. Were these institutions to enforce true, Catholic standards (and accept nothing less), we would be sending out intelligent, bold and morally solid adults out into the world … rather than intelligent, bold and morally CONFUSED adults into the world!
    Please keep us posted on this … many of us have a vested interest! These men started out in our Country as true HEROES … they need to redeem themselves.
    -Jen A.

  • Set All Afire says:

    Seeing as all my patron Saint is Saint Francis Xavier, I would like to say the Society of Jesus needs to return back to where it came from. It just goes to show you that Satan attacks the hardest at the one’s that do (did) the most good.

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