Society of Jesus



The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, is a male-only Roman Catholic religious order, consisting of priests and religious brothers.

It is an evangelistic order practicing missionary work and education, with many Jesuit schools around the world. The Jesuits, beginning their founding in 1530 by Ignatius of Loyola, actively recruited among the Conversos for their first 30 years (Catholic converts of Jewish heritage). After that, an anti-Converso faction took over that strictly forbade Conversos, or even their descendants, from the order.

Jesuits also spread disease in the new world, though not realizing it at the time, and killed off native populations. With so many mysterious deaths occurring around them, some natives were wary of Jesuits. The Jesuits blamed these deaths on the natives' pagan religions and converted those who believed them. During the Holocaust some German Jesuits risked their lives to rescue or protect Jews.

The head of the order is the Superior General, based in Rome, sometimes referred to as the Black Pope because of his black priest's garments (in contrast to the Pope's white robes) and influential position.

With all that in mind, people tend not to like them that very much.

Criticism of Jesuits
The Jesuit order has come under strong criticism, largely from Protestants, since its inception in the 15th century. During the Reformation era, it seemed to the Puritans to personify the wealth and corruption they perceived in the Catholic Church, and was constantly suspected of subversion. Often these fears were well founded, as Jesuits were implicated in numerous political intrigues and conspiracies, including the Gunpowder Plot.

Jesuits also tend to attract the ire of ultratraditionalist and hard-conservative Catholics for being "liberal" and more "scientific" than religious. Never mind that there are quite a few conservatives among the order and that in the Church, "liberal" can mean anything from liberation theology to heresy.

Distrust of Jesuits, and conspiracy theories about the order, have continued into the modern era. These theories often focus on the Black Pope, portrayed as the real power behind the Papacy and the Church. Not to mention, there are multiple people that accuse the Jesuits of orchestrating numerous wars, assassinations, and other atrocities. These can include the World Wars, the death of Lincoln, and promoting dictators.

A number of websites posit that the Black Pope has a negative influence on world events (including getting rid of White Popes who refuse to obey their bidding), being linked to Satan, general destruction, and the New World Order. Just to make things more interesting, the current Pope is a Jesuit - the first Jesuit Pope ever. He is also the 112th and final Pope from St. Malachy's "prophecy", a.k.a. Peter the Roman or, more commonly, the "Black Pope" (but not because of racism of something, no…).

Slavers
The Jesuit order in the United States owned and sold 272 enslaved people to fund Georgetown College, which later became Georgetown University. The Jesuits were not exceptional in this regard, as other Catholic orders and Protestant churches had also engaged in the slave trade.

Jesuit Oath in the Library of Congress
The “Jesuit Oath” conspiracy begins with two political candidates running for office in the Seventh Congressional District in Pennsylvania: Eugene C. Bonniwell, a Democrat and a Catholic, and a Republican and a Quaker. Bonniwell, who lost the election, attempted to have the Speaker of the House prevent Butler from taking his seat. The House Committee on Elections investigated the matter and submitted HR1523 to the House on February 15, 1913. Congressman Olmsted requested that it be read into the Congressional record.

There was no mention of a Jesuit Oath in the Congressional Record, but a purported Oath of the Knights of Columbus which was used to slander Bonniwell, as Bonniwell is alleged to have belonged to the Knights of Columbus. Bonniwell claimed that the supporters of Butler and the West Chester Daily News, which was owned by the Republicans, libelously slandered him by anonymously publishing what was purported to be the Knight of Columbus Oath. This incident was read into the Congressional Record, which included the purported Knights of Columbus Oath. The committee took a dim view of Butler slandering Bonniwell with what was claimed to be the Knights of Columbus Oath as the committee indicated:

The reason why this was called the Jesuit Oath was before the oath was used to slander Bonniwell as a Knight of Columbus, the same oath had been pinned on the Jesuits as being the oath they had taken:

One is left scratching one's head, as the Jesuits are known to be the most liberal of all the sacerdotal orders, constantly getting in trouble over what many consider liberalism.