Many of us
already know that Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) is the first-ever Jesuit
pope. I kind of have to wonder why
exactly that is, since there have been many
Jesuits in the Catholic Church throughout the centuries. Maybe this has something to do with some sort
of timing? Don’t know. But I do know that this Jesuit pope has been
very controversial, as many in the Catholic Church will attest.
But what are
the purposes, beliefs and motivation of the Jesuits as a group? And how does all this affect the pope or his
teachings?
According to
the Encyclopedia Britannica, a Jesuit
is a “member of the Society of Jesus (S.J.), a Roman Catholic order of
religious men founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola [1540 A.D.], noted for its
educational, missionary, and charitable works.”
This order has also been regarded by many as “the principal agent of the
Counter-Reformation and was later a leading force in modernizing the church.”
See here:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jesuits
Origin
Ignatius of
Loyola was a soldier who was wounded in battle by a cannonball that shattered
his right leg, after which a long process of healing began.
According to
a Catholic Answers Magazine article:
“As soon as he could walk, Ignatius went to
the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat, placed his armor before
an image of Mary, and then went to a cave in the solitude of Manresa, where he
spent ten months in self-mortification.
Ignatius prepared his heart for a new type of battle, training in the
arms of the spirit, strengthening his resolve to serve heaven through prayer
and fasting. There in that cave,
Ignatius learned asceticism and discovered the foundation of his Spiritual
Exercises.”
See here:
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/st-ignatius-and-the-jesuits
What Do They Believe?
What are
some of the things that the Jesuits believe and teach? One of their main spiritual principles is
reported to be “finding God in all things.”
They also claim that “Jesuits draw on the rich tradition of Ignatian
spirituality and discernment.” Another
important aspect of their beliefs is that they aim to be “contemplatives in
action.”
According to
different sources, the work they do includes “global justice, peace and
dialogue.” The 4 vows of the Jesuits
are:
1) Poverty
2) Chasity,
3) Obedience
and
4) Worldwide
Mission
See here:
https://www.jesuits.org/about-us/
But as I
mentioned earlier, it is these “Spiritual Exercises” that Ignatius discovered that
seem to be the real focus and perhaps the
key to Jesuit spirituality. More
about this a little later.
Interesting Facts
Ignatius was
recognized as a “soldier-turned-mystic.”
According to
one Catholic source:
“… [Jesuits
were] often considered one of the Catholic Church’s most influential religious orders.” (Emphasis added)
This author
also admits they were not loved by everyone:
“… the
Jesuits are also among the church’s more controversial groups… and they have
been accused of conniving in politics… Founding Father John Adams wrote to
Thomas Jefferson in 1816 that the order deserved ‘eternal Perdition on Earth
and in Hell.’”
Here are a
few more interesting statements from this article:
“Convinced
that Christianity would spread more quickly if it adapted to local cultures,
Jesuit missionaries in China incorporated elements of Confucian ancestor veneration into Catholic rituals.” (Emphasis
added)
“Today in
the minds of many, Jesuits continue to be associated with more progressive and liberal viewpoints.” (Emphasis added)
“Like those
in other Catholic orders, Jesuit priests around the world have been accused of
sex abuse. A recent church report in
Spain, for example, identified 96 abusers, most of whom had already died.”
“Future
Jesuit emphases will continue to evolve as the order adapts to new
circumstances. But it is the ‘Spiritual Exercises’ that remain the heart of the
identity and mission of today’s 17,000 Jesuits.” (Emphasis added)
See here:
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/2022/03/who-are-the-jesuits/
The leader
of the Jesuits is called the “Superior General.” The current Superior General, or “Father
General,” is Father Arturo Sosa, S.J.
Interestingly,
one of their “ministries” is the Vatican Observatory, run by Jesuit
astronomers.
See here:
https://www.jesuits.org/about-us/who-we-are/
In 1773,
after much pressure from European leaders (who didn’t like their missionary tactics
nor their close ties to powerful people), Pope Clement XIV issued Dominus ac Redemptor, a brief
suppressing the Jesuits. See here:
https://www.jesuits.org/about-us/ignatius-of-loyola/
It is beyond
a doubt that the Jesuits were not always favored by the people:
“Some saw
the prayers and self-examinations in his [Ignatius’] spiritual exercises as
potentially dangerous mysticism.” [Even by Catholic standards!]
Because of
the Chinese Rites Controversy, “… even the pope [Clement XI] became suspicious
of the Jesuits’ methods.”
“By the 18th
Century, suspicion and resentment of the Society became increasingly
serious. They were caricatured as deceptive and conniving tricksters who
sought nothing less than world domination.” (Emphasis added)
They were
also “kicked out of Portugal, France and Spain.”
See here:
https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-the-jesuits/
The Truth About the Spiritual
Exercises
The late
Dave Hunt was a Christian apologist, speaker, radio commentator, and author,
who started The Berean Call newsletter. T.A. McMahon, now President and Executive
Director of the newsletter had this to say about the “Spiritual Exercises” that
the Jesuits perform:
“… Moreover,
this is visual idolatry (Ex. 20:4-5) and a divination technique that opens the door
to demonic spirits. We personally know
former Jesuit priests (Ignatius founded the Jesuits) who report that they had
been demonized by this method. The real
Jesus will not respond, no matter how sincere the practitioner. Through the imagination the visualized Jesus (or any other personage) often
takes on a life of its own and brings the practitioner into occult bondage. (See The
Seduction of Christianity or Occult Invasion for more information on
shamanic visualization.)”
The title of
this particular newsletter is “Please
Contemplate This” (March 2000) by McMahon, and he talks about the danger of
“contemplative prayer” and these deceptive “spiritual exercises that invite
direct experiences with God.”
Some Serious Things to Consider
There are a
multitude of “red flags” (warning signs) in the history of the Jesuits, and there
are many reasons to doubt the trustworthiness of this group and their
teachings.
Here is a
brief recap of some of them so far:
First of
all, I’ll admit to being biased, since this blog exists to point out the
problems with many of the Catholic Church’s teachings. So, my first issue is that not only are the Jesuits part of the Catholic Church, they are
one of the Church’s most influential
religious orders! So, from the start, my
“radar” is on high alert.
Secondly,
the legalistic asceticism, self-abuse and self-mortification upon which the
movement is built is also concerning. According
to the apostle Paul, this is not the way one increases in godliness (Colossians
2:20-23)! As renown evangelical pastor,
author, educator, and radio preacher Chuck Swindoll stated, “Legalism
invariably denies the principle of GRACE and exalts the PRIDE of man” (Romans
11:6). This holds true for
everyone, not just Catholics.
You can also
read some of my concerns about such legalism in this article:
https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2022/06/catholic-convents-and-monasteries.html
Probably the
most serious problem with all of this is Ignatius’ “Spiritual Exercises,” which
are admittedly the foundation of the Jesuit movement. As mentioned above (in McMahon’s Berean Call newsletter), these exercises
are a form of occultic divination (Deuteronomy 18:10; 1 Samuel 15:23)
that include New Age “contemplative prayer.”
Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have often promoted such prayer and
“meditation.” But contemplative or
“centering” prayer is simply anti-biblical/pagan Eastern Mysticism (Matthew
6:7-8).
See here:
https://www.gotquestions.org/contemplative-prayer.html
Note also these
sobering quotes:
“The
meditation of advanced occultists is identical with the prayer of advanced
mystics: it is no accident that both traditions use the same word for the
highest reaches of their respective activities – contemplation. – from the
book, Richard Kirby, The Mission of
Mysticism.”
“This
mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern
spirituality… It is no accident that the most active frontier between Christian
and Eastern religions today is between contemplative Christian monks and their
Eastern equivalents. Some forms of
Eastern meditation informally have been incorporated or adapted into the
practice of many Christian monks, and increasingly by other Christians. –
Tilden Edwards, founder of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, in Spiritual Friend.”
See here:
https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/5-things-you-should-know-about-contemplative-prayer/
The truth is,
even Catholics saw these Ignatian exercises as “potentially dangerous
mysticism.” And they were exactly right.
To Sum Up
At different
times in their history the Jesuits were simply not trusted, kicked out of
several countries, suppressed by the pope, himself, noted for bringing ancestor worship into the Church, banned
from many areas, they were seen as the “sword arm” of the pope, they aroused
suspicion and resentment in the people, and were recognized as deceptive,
conniving tricksters who lusted for power.
For a
supposedly “holy” religious order which is the most influential in the Catholic
Church, this is NOT a very good resume!
The Values of Dr. Fauci
If these
things do not seem sufficient to cause one to question the trustworthiness of
the Jesuits, I would like to offer another reason.
The infamous
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the former director of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He was
the one overseeing the management of the Covid 19 “pandemic.” Speaking to the newest members of the Alpha
Sigma Nu (the national Jesuit honor society at Georgetown University), he
encouraged them “to be staunch defenders of the Jesuit principles.”
In an annual
induction ceremony of Georgetown’s Alpha Sigma Nu honor society, Fauci proudly
claims that his Jesuit training has helped to prepare and shape him for his
decades-long career in medicine and public service.
See here:
https://www.georgetown.edu/news/fauci-reflects-on-jesuit-values-in-his-career/
So, let me
get this straight. Fauci’s values come
from Jesuit teaching/principles? I would
like to remind the reader that Dr. Fauci was accused (by Congressmen in court)
of lying to Congress under oath about several facets of the Covid “pandemic,”
of withholding critical information from the public, of hiding/redacting
important email messages from Congress, and using various inconsistent explanations about his work with Covid. He was endangering the citizens of America in
a time of national stress and an increasing death rate with his arrogant “I AM
the science” attitude. Yet, he is
described by some as a “distinguished” university professor.
Is this what
his Jesuit training has conditioned him to do?
Remember, he is the one who
emphasized that his values were Jesuit
values. What does that say about his
beloved “Society of Jesus”? What other
“exceptional” qualities have the Jesuits prepared these students with? Will they
also be arrogant, liars, and hiders of the truth?
If this is
what Jesuits teach their students, then perhaps this would actually lend
credence to some of the “conspiracy theories” out there about Jesuit oaths,
secret ceremonies, and other cloak-and-dagger activities.
Conclusion
There are
many arguments today against the Jesuits that are considered to be mere “conspiracy
theories” by some.
Some of these
theories depict the Jesuits as members of the Illuminati; bloodthirsty globalists
who want to create a New World Order; involved in occultic trances and
brainwashing; using blood oaths; exercising blind obedience to the pope; having
a “the-end-justifies-the-means” mentality; they killed John F. Kennedy and
Abraham Lincoln; they infiltrated Protestant churches to destroy them from
within; they incited racism, hatred and jealousy in society; they were spies who
started wars; concerning those they considered heretics, they would be willing
to hang, burn, strangle, bury alive, or rip out babies from their wombs.
See this interesting
video:
Come to
think of it, some of this seems to look very similar to the political views,
desires and even actions of the far left today in America!
Now, out of
all the “conspiracy theories” that are out there, I don’t know which ones you
can, or cannot, definitively prove to be true, but the evidence in this article
alone (that you are now reading) seems to give credibility to the possible truthfulness
of at least some of those “theories.”
With this
evidence in mind, my personal opinion of the Jesuit Society is this: The
Catholic Church purposely created this group as not just another order of the
Church (like the Dominicans, Franciscans, Benedictines, etc.), but created them
to be the most influential and
powerful political order of the
Church, as stated earlier. The Church
knew very well that the members of this Society would be “leftists” and
“radical progressives” (like the current pope is), and the Church knew that
they would be deceptive, disruptive and hated by many. And when the world catches the Jesuits in an evil
act, the Catholic Church could then deny knowing exactly what the Society
(overzealous as they are) had been up to, and could thus distance themselves
from the Jesuits – at least temporarily.
That way, the Church could point the finger at someone else and yet,
still have their dirty work done. They
would then protect those same Jesuits by secretly moving them to another
location to continue their work, in much the same way the Church has been
protecting their pedophiles and corrupt priests in the past. That’s what I believe.
So how does
Jesuit Pope Francis fit into all this?
Interesting question. No doubt,
he espouses Jesuit values, or else he wouldn’t be one? With his
controversial tendencies, “progressive” viewpoints, and global influence, he
will surely and eventually live up to the name “Jesuit.”
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