Superior General of the Society of Jesus

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus is the official

Superior General of the
title of the leader of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order
also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father Society of Jesus
General. The position sometimes carries the nickname of the Praepositus Generalis
Black Pope, because of his responsibility for the largest male
religious order, in contrast with the white garb of the pope. The
thirty-first and current superior general is Fr Arturo Sosa, elected by
the 36th General Congregation on 14 October 2016.[1]

Contents Seal of the Society of Jesus

Titles
Black Pope
Powers
Succession
List of Superiors General
Leadership during suppression
See also
Notes
References
External links

Titles Incumbent

Arturo Sosa

The formal title in Latin is Praepositus

since 14 October 2016
Generalis, which may fairly be rendered
as "superior general" or even, "president Formation 19 April 1541
general". The term is like that of military
First holder Ignatius of Loyola
usage (and Ignatius of Loyola had a
military background) which is derived
from "general", as opposed to "particular". This usage is consistent with other
Catholic religious orders, like the Dominicans' "master general", Franciscans'
"minister general", Carthusians' "prior general", and with civil posts such as
Postmaster General and Attorney General. The Jesuits are organized into
Ignatius of Loyola, first provinces, each with a provincial superior, (usually referred to as the "Father
Superior General Provincial" or just "Provincial"), with the head of the order being the "general
superior", for the whole organization. As a major superior, the Superior
General is styled "Very Reverend".

Black Pope
"Black Pope" is an unofficial designation given to the position of Superior General of the Order of the
Jesuits.[2] The name follows from his leadership of the largest Catholic, male religious order[3] and from
the colour of the plain black cassock worn by members of the Society, including the Superior General.[4]
This may have originated from a past concern (most prominent around the 16th and 17th centuries)
among Protestant European countries concerning the relative power of the Jesuits within the Roman
Catholic Church, and partly because the Superior General, like the Pope, is elected for life.

Powers
The Superior General is invested with governing power over all the members
of the Society, but customarily leads through Provincial superiors under him.
Such power follows from the religious vows that bind members to community
life, as in other religious orders.

Succession
Superiors General are elected by the General Congregation of the Society,
Pedro Arrupe summoned upon the resignation or death of an incumbent. Superiors
General are elected for life and up to recently, as with the Popes, have served
life terms. The exceptions being Father Pedro Arrupe (resigned for reasons of
failing health) and both his successors, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach and Father Adolfo Nicolás. On 2
October 2016, General Congregation 36 convened in Rome, convoked by Superior General Nicolás, and
it elected Father Arturo Sosa as the thirty-first Superior General.

List of Superiors General

Until the 21st century, it was customary for Superiors General to rule for life. Where they left office
before death, the date of death is listed below the date they left office. (Pedro Arrupe resigned in 1983
after a paralyzing stroke.)
 Superior Left office
Duration
No. Portrait Took office Birthplace[a]
General Deceased (in days)

Ignatius of
1 April 19, 1541 July 31, 1556 Azpeitia, Spain 5,582
Loyola

2 Diego Laynez July 2, 1558 January 19, 1565 Almazán, Spain 2,393

Francis
3 July 2, 1565 October 1, 1572 Gandia, Spain 2,648
Borgia

La Roche-en-
Everard
4 April 23, 1573 August 1, 1580 Ardenne, 2,657
Mercurian
Belgium

Claudio
5 February 19, 1581 January 31, 1615 Atri, Italy 12,399
Acquaviva

Mutio
6 November 15, 1615 February 9, 1645 Rome, Italy 10,679
Vitelleschi
 Superior Left office
Duration
No. Portrait Took office Birthplace[a]
General Deceased (in days)

Vincenzo
7 January 7, 1646 June 8, 1649 Naples, Italy 1,248
Carafa

Francesco
8 December 21, 1649 June 17, 1651 Siena, Italy 543
Piccolomini

Aloysius
9 January 21, 1652 March 12, 1652 Rome, Italy 51
Gottifredi

Goschwin
10 March 17, 1652 July 31, 1664 Jülich, Germany 4,519
Nickel

Giovanni
11 July 31, 1664 November 26, 1681 Genoa, Italy 6,327
Paolo Oliva

Charles de Brussels,
12 July 5, 1682 December 12, 1686 1,621
Noyelle Belgium

Thyrsus
13 González de July 6, 1687 October 27, 1705 Arganza, Spain 6,688
Santalla
 Superior Left office
Duration
No. Portrait Took office Birthplace[a]
General Deceased (in days)

Michelangelo
14 January 31, 1706 February 28, 1730 Modena, Italy 8,521
Tamburini

Prague,
15 Franz Retz March 7, 1730 November 19, 1750 7,562
Bohemia

Ignacio
16 July 4, 1751 May 4, 1755 Milan, Italy 1,389
Visconti

Aloysius
17 November 30, 1755 October 2, 1757 Genoa, Italy 672
Centurione

August 16, 1773

24 November 1775

18 Lorenzo Ricci May 21, 1758 Florence, Italy 5,566

21 July 1773

(suppressed)

Kaunas, Polish–
Stanislaus
— October 17, 1782 October 21, 1785 Lithuanian 1,100
Czerniewicz[b] Commonwealth

Gabriel Polotsk, Polish–

— October 8, 1785 October 21, 1798 Lithuanian 4,761
Lenkiewicz[b]
Commonwealth

Franciszek Orsha, Polish–

— February 12, 1799 August 11, 1802 Lithuanian 1,275
Kareu[c]
Commonwealth
 Superior Left office
Duration
No. Portrait Took office Birthplace[a]
General Deceased (in days)

Gabriel
— October 22, 1802 April 6, 1805 Vienna, Austria 897
Gruber[d]

Tadeusz Königsberg,
19 August 7, 1814 February 5, 1820 2,008
Brzozowski[e] Prussia

20 Luigi Fortis October 18, 1820 January 27, 1829 Verona, Italy 3,023

Amsterdam,
21 Jan Roothaan July 9, 1829 May 8, 1853 8,704
Netherlands

Peter Jan Scherpenheuvel-

22 August 2, 1853 March 4, 1887 12,267
Beckx Zichem, Belgium

Anton Berisal,
23 March 4, 1887 January 18, 1892 1,781
Anderledy Switzerland

Melgar de
24 Luis Martín October 2, 1892 April 18, 1906 Fernamental, 4,945
Spain
 Superior Left office
Duration
No. Portrait Took office Birthplace[a]
General Deceased (in days)

Franz Xavier Rottweil,

25 September 8, 1906 August 20, 1914 2,903
Wernz Germany

Wlodimir
26 February 11, 1915 December 13, 1942 Loosdorf, Austria 10,167
Ledóchowski

Jean-Baptiste Mechelen,
27 September 15, 1946 October 5, 1964 6,595
Janssens Belgium

September 3, 1983

28 Pedro Arrupe May 22, 1965 Bilbao, Spain 6,678

5 February 1991

Peter Hans January 14, 2008

Druten,
29 September 13, 1983 8,889
Kolvenbach 26 November 2016 Netherlands

Adolfo October 3, 2016

Villamuriel de
30 January 19, 2008 3,169
Nicolás 20 May 2020 Cerrato, Spain

Caracas,
31 Arturo Sosa October 14, 2016 Incumbent 2,203
Venezuela

Leadership during suppression

In 1773, the Jesuits were suppressed by Pope Clement XIV, through
the Papal brief Dominus ac Redemptor on 21 July 1773, executed 16
August. The leaders of the order, in the nations where the Papal
suppression order was not enforced, were known as temporary
Vicars General.

The temporary Vicars General were:

Stanislaus Czerniewicz (17 October 1782 – 21 October 1785)

Gabriel Lenkiewicz (8 October 1785 – 21 October 1798)
Franciszek Kareu (12 February 1799 – 7 March 1801)

On 7 March 1801, Pope Pius VII issued the brief Catholicae fidei,
giving approval to the existence of the Society in Russia and allowing
the Society there to elect a Superior General for Russia. This was the
first step to the Society's eventual restoration.

The Superiors General in Russia were: Saint Francis Borgia, depicted

performing an exorcism, served as
Franciszek Kareu (7 March 1801 – 11 August 1802) the third Superior General.
Gabriel Gruber (22 October 1802 – 6 April 1805)
Tadeusz Brzozowski (14 September 1805 – 7 August 1814)

The order was restored on 7 August 1814, by Pope Pius VII, through the papal bull Sollicitudo omnium
ecclesiarum.

See also
Admonitor (Jesuits)

Notes
a. Lists the present-day name and nationality of the city in question.
b. Vicar General
c. Vicar General until 7 March 1801, Superior General for Russia thereafter.
d. Superior General for Russia only.
e. Superior General for Russia only from 14 September 1805 to 7 August 1814.

References
1. "Jesuits elect first Latin-American general" (https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/10/14/jesuits-elect-first
-latin-american-general/). Crux. 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
2. commandprompt6 (1993). A view from Rome: on the eve of the modernist crisis. Fordham University
Press. p. Back cover. ISBN 0823213595.
3. "Jesuit | religious order" (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jesuits). Encyclopedia Britannica.
Retrieved 2017-05-30.
4. "Spaniard becomes Jesuits' new "black pope" " (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-jesuits-id
USL1941405320080119). Reuters. 2008-01-19. Retrieved 2022-01-19.

External links
The Goa Jesuit Province of the Society of Jesus (http://www.goajesuits.in)
New York Jesuit Province History Page on the Suppression (https://web.archive.org/web/200505150
74451/http://www.nysj.org/history/province_history_generals.asp)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superior_General_of_the_Society_of_Jesus&oldid=1112376140"

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