Global Christianity Jesuit reductions
Global Christianity

Suppression of the Society of Jesus, from 1764-1814.

The Society of Jesus was founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1539. It became a force for Catholic revival, in harmony with the Council of Trent. The Jesuits were a missionary Order, sending evangelists to India, China, Japan, South America, Canada, and present-day Ethiopia. Politically powerful and active in trade, the Jesuits aroused opposition, especially in France. The Jesuit loyalty to the Pope angered those who wanted French control of the church and those who sympathized with the Enlightenment. Through a series of political maneuvers, enemies of the Jesuits succeeded in having the Order suppressed in France in 1764. Jesuits were expelled from Spain and Naples in 1767 and ordered to leave all Spanish colonies, causing the collapse of the Paraguay Mission and other projects. Finally the pope abolished the Order in 1773. Jesuits who served as missionaries around the world were recalled, expelled, disbanded, or absorbed into other Orders. The Society of Jesus was re-established in 1814, but Catholic missions around the world suffered a major setback.



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