The late Pope Francis was the first Jesuit to be elected at the head of the Holy See. An order founded by Ignatius of Loyola in ~1534 during the Protestant Reformation. Pope Francis was also the first Latin American to be elected Pope.
A look at a current list of eligible candidates according to geographical region, show a change in the Church’s ethnic composition of Cardinals, a departure from a majority of Italian or European papabile.
Pope Francis, like any other Jesuit like him, makes an additional vow to enter the order. On top of a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, Jesuits also vow strict obedience to the Pope. A lesser-know fact about the order, also known as the Soldiers of Christ, is Ignatius of Loyola’s original request made to his order that none of its members would ever seek for a “higher office” in the Church
The Jesuits, or the Society of Jesus (SJ), was founded by Ignatius of Loyola. He was born in the Basque region to a family with minor aristocratic lineage. He was a womanizer who spent his time fighting and gambling. His career as a soldier ended when his leg was shattered in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521. While bedridden for close to a year he spent his time reading and was especially affected by a book on the life of Jesus.
With one disabled leg, rejoining the military was out of the question. Ignatius decided to dedicate his life fighting for Christ’s message instead.
There was no better time to embark on his new vocation/mission. The Church was facing forceful criticism from a German monk named Martin Luther, the notorious instigator of the Protestant Reformation.
Ignatius, with his newfound order, was expected to help the Church with its own Counter-Reformation. History reveals that Ignatius of Loyola was not so much interested in stopping the spread of Luther’s 95 These but more concerned about the churches’ institutional corruption.
