Superior general of the Society of Jesus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Superior General of the Society of Jesus
Seal of the Society of Jesus
Incumbent Arturo Sosa since 14 October 2016
Formation	19 April 1541
First holder	Ignatius of Loyola

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus is the main leader of the Society of Jesus. This is a Catholic religious group also known as the Jesuits. People usually call him Father General. He is sometimes called the Black Pope. This is because he leads the largest group of male religious members. His black clothes are a contrast to the white clothes of the pope.

The current Superior General is Father Arturo Sosa. He was chosen on October 14, 2016. He is the thirty-first person to hold this important role.

What is a Superior General?

Ignatius of Loyola, the first Superior General

The official name in Latin is Praepositus Generalis. This means "superior general" or "president general." The word "general" is like in the military. This is because Ignatius of Loyola, who started the Jesuits, had a military background.

Other Catholic religious groups also use similar titles. For example, the Dominicans have a "master general." The Franciscans have a "minister general." The Carthusians have a "prior general."

The Jesuits are divided into smaller groups called provinces. Each province has a "provincial superior," often called "Father Provincial." The Superior General is the leader for the entire worldwide organization.

Why "Black Pope"?

"Black Pope" is an unofficial nickname for the Superior General of the Jesuits. This name comes from two reasons:

• He leads the largest Catholic group of men who are religious.
• Members of the Society, including the Superior General, wear plain black clothes.

This nickname might have started a long time ago, around the 1500s and 1600s. Some Protestant countries in Europe worried about how much power the Jesuits had. Also, like the Pope, the Superior General used to be chosen for life.

How the Superior General Leads

Pedro Arrupe, a former Superior General.

The Superior General has power over all members of the Society. However, he usually leads by working with the Provincial superiors under him. This power comes from the religious vows that members take. These vows connect them to community life, just like in other religious groups.

How a New Leader is Chosen

New Superiors General are chosen by a special meeting called the General Congregation of the Society. This meeting happens when the current leader resigns or passes away.

For a long time, Superiors General were chosen for life. They served until they died, just like Popes. But this has changed recently. For example, Father Pedro Arrupe resigned because he was very ill. His two successors, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach and Father Adolfo Nicolás, also resigned.

On October 2, 2016, the 36th General Congregation met in Rome. Superior General Nicolás called this meeting. They chose Father Arturo Sosa as the thirty-first Superior General.

List of Jesuit Leaders

Before the 21st century, most Superiors General led for their whole lives. If they left office before they died, their death date is listed below the date they left office. For example, Pedro Arrupe resigned in 1983 after a stroke.

No.	Superior General	Portrait	Took office	Left office Deceased	Birthplace	Duration (in days)
1	Ignatius of Loyola		April 19, 1541	July 31, 1556	Azpeitia, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&05582.&&&&&05,582
2	Laynez, DiegoDiego Laynez		July 2, 1558	January 19, 1565	Almazán, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&02393.&&&&&02,393
3	Borgia, FrancisFrancis Borgia		July 2, 1565	October 1, 1572	Gandia, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&02648.&&&&&02,648
4	Mercurian, EverardEverard Mercurian		April 23, 1573	August 1, 1580	La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium	&&&&&&&&&&&02657.&&&&&02,657
5	Acquaviva, ClaudioClaudio Acquaviva		February 19, 1581	January 31, 1615	Atri, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&012399.&&&&&012,399
6	Vitelleschi, MutioMutio Vitelleschi		November 15, 1615	February 9, 1645	Rome, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&010679.&&&&&010,679
7	Carafa, VincenzoVincenzo Carafa		January 7, 1646	June 8, 1649	Naples, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&01248.&&&&&01,248
8	Piccolomini, FrancescoFrancesco Piccolomini		December 21, 1649	June 17, 1651	Siena, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&&0543.&&&&&0543
9	Gottifredi, AloysiusAloysius Gottifredi		January 21, 1652	March 12, 1652	Rome, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&&&051.&&&&&051
10	Nickel, GoschwinGoschwin Nickel		March 17, 1652	July 31, 1664	Jülich, Germany	&&&&&&&&&&&04519.&&&&&04,519
11	Oliva, Giovanni PaoloGiovanni Paolo Oliva		July 31, 1664	November 26, 1681	Genoa, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&06327.&&&&&06,327
12	Noyelle, Charles deCharles de Noyelle		July 5, 1682	December 12, 1686	Brussels, Belgium	&&&&&&&&&&&01621.&&&&&01,621
13	Santalla, Thyrsus González deThyrsus González de Santalla		July 6, 1687	October 27, 1705	Arganza, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&06688.&&&&&06,688
14	Tamburini, MichelangeloMichelangelo Tamburini		January 31, 1706	February 28, 1730	Modena, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&08521.&&&&&08,521
15	Retz, FranzFranz Retz		March 7, 1730	November 19, 1750	Prague, Bohemia	&&&&&&&&&&&07562.&&&&&07,562
16	Visconti, IgnacioIgnacio Visconti		July 4, 1751	May 4, 1755	Milan, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&01389.&&&&&01,389
17	Centurione, AloysiusAloysius Centurione		November 30, 1755	October 2, 1757	Genoa, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&&0672.&&&&&0672
18	Ricci, LorenzoLorenzo Ricci		May 21, 1758	August 16, 1773 24 November 1775 21 July 1773 (suppressed)	Florence, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&05566.&&&&&05,566
—	Czerniewicz, StanislausStanislaus Czerniewicz		October 17, 1782	October 21, 1785	Kaunas, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	&&&&&&&&&&&01100.&&&&&01,100
—	Lenkiewicz, GabrielGabriel Lenkiewicz		October 8, 1785	October 21, 1798	Polotsk, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	&&&&&&&&&&&04761.&&&&&04,761
—	Kareu, FranciszekFranciszek Kareu		February 12, 1799	August 11, 1802	Orsha, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	&&&&&&&&&&&01275.&&&&&01,275
—	Gruber, GabrielGabriel Gruber		October 22, 1802	April 6, 1805	Vienna, Austria	&&&&&&&&&&&&0897.&&&&&0897
19	Brzozowski, TadeuszTadeusz Brzozowski		August 7, 1814	February 5, 1820	Königsberg, Prussia	&&&&&&&&&&&02008.&&&&&02,008
20	Fortis, LuigiLuigi Fortis		October 18, 1820	January 27, 1829	Verona, Italy	&&&&&&&&&&&03023.&&&&&03,023
21	Roothaan, JanJan Roothaan		July 9, 1829	May 8, 1853	Amsterdam, Netherlands	&&&&&&&&&&&08704.&&&&&08,704
22	Beckx, Peter JanPeter Jan Beckx		August 2, 1853	March 4, 1887	Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium	&&&&&&&&&&012267.&&&&&012,267
23	Anderledy, AntonAnton Anderledy		March 4, 1887	January 18, 1892	Berisal, Switzerland	&&&&&&&&&&&01781.&&&&&01,781
24	Martín, LuisLuis Martín		October 2, 1892	April 18, 1906	Melgar de Fernamental, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&04945.&&&&&04,945
25	Wernz, Franz XavierFranz Xavier Wernz		September 8, 1906	August 20, 1914	Rottweil, Germany	&&&&&&&&&&&02903.&&&&&02,903
26	Ledóchowski, WlodimirWlodimir Ledóchowski	.	February 11, 1915	December 13, 1942	Loosdorf, Austria	&&&&&&&&&&010167.&&&&&010,167
27	Janssens, Jean-BaptisteJean-Baptiste Janssens		September 15, 1946	October 5, 1964	Mechelen, Belgium	&&&&&&&&&&&06595.&&&&&06,595
28	Arrupe, PedroPedro Arrupe		May 22, 1965	September 3, 1983 5 February 1991	Bilbao, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&06678.&&&&&06,678
29	Kolvenbach, Peter HansPeter Hans Kolvenbach		September 13, 1983	January 14, 2008 26 November 2016	Druten, Netherlands	&&&&&&&&&&&08889.&&&&&08,889
30	Nicolás, AdolfoAdolfo Nicolás		January 19, 2008	October 3, 2016 20 May 2020	Villamuriel de Cerrato, Spain	&&&&&&&&&&&03169.&&&&&03,169
31	Sosa, ArturoArturo Sosa		October 14, 2016	Incumbent	Caracas, Venezuela	&&&&&&&&&&&03176.&&&&&03,176

Leaders During a Difficult Time

In 1773, the Jesuits were temporarily stopped by Pope Clement XIV. This was done through a special order called Dominus ac Redemptor. It was issued on July 21, 1773, and put into effect on August 16.

In some countries, the Pope's order was not fully followed. The leaders of the Jesuits in these places were called temporary Vicars General.

The temporary Vicars General were:

• Stanislaus Czerniewicz (October 17, 1782 – October 21, 1785)
• Gabriel Lenkiewicz (October 8, 1785 – October 21, 1798)
• Franciszek Kareu (February 12, 1799 – March 7, 1801)

On March 7, 1801, Pope Pius VII allowed the Jesuits to exist in Russia. He let them choose a Superior General just for Russia. This was the first step toward the Society being fully brought back.

The Superiors General in Russia were:

• Franciszek Kareu (March 7, 1801 – August 11, 1802)
• Gabriel Gruber (October 22, 1802 – April 6, 1805)
• Tadeusz Brzozowski (September 14, 1805 – August 7, 1814)

The Jesuit order was fully brought back on August 7, 1814. This happened through another special order from Pope Pius VII called Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum.

See also

In Spanish: Superior general de la Compañía de Jesús para niños

• Admonitor (Jesuits)