The Jesuits & the Popes: A Historical Sketch of their Relationship by John W. O'Malley

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Jesuits & the Popes: A Historical Sketch of their Relationshipby John W. O'Malley Mark A. Lewis S.J. The Jesuits & the Popes: A Historical Sketch of their Relationship. By John W. O'Malley S.J.(Philadelphia: St. Joseph's University Press. 2016. Pp. vi, 149, 19 images. $40.00. ISBN 978-0-91610-191-6.) Anyone who enjoys flying a small airplane appreciates its unique perspective at an altitude of 5,000 feet. John O'Malley in his historical sketch The Jesuits & the Popestakes us to that level on a journey of almost 500 years. The view obviously sacrifices details one might see from a closer perspective, but its advantages are found in the trends and movements emerging within the gentle contours that develop over decades. Following custom, O'Malley sets the context in the first chapter with an overview of the relationships between the papacy and other religious orders from the sixth to sixteenth centuries. This impressive tour in eleven pages indicates the key developments in religious life and the growing support received from the Holy See. It sets the stage for the arrival of the Jesuits among the clerks regular, a new form of religious. The second chapter identifies the central element of the Jesuit relationship to the papacy, the fourth vow, which enables a Jesuit to receive missions directly from the pope. Though rarely used, this vow recognizes "that the pope, as the universal bishop, ha[s] the breadth of vision best to deploy them" (p. 20). Almost from the beginning, however, the Superior General, with the vast intelligence coming from reports of Jesuits around the world, became a better source of information needed for their assignment. As with all surveys, some points seek further development. O'Malley states that "the early Jesuits were influenced by [conciliarist tradition]" (p. 22), citing an [End Page 324]opinion given by the general's secretary and admonitor, Juan Polanco, "that a Pope such as Pius IV might be deposed for serious scandal" (p. 23). A look at Monumenta Lainii(Vol. VIII, p. 804), to which O'Malley refers, seems much more complicated. Polanco shows more concern about the reform of the papal curia than did Pius IV (whom he does not mention). Polanco does say, citing those who favorthe authority of the Holy See, that a council "may be called" (alas the passive voice!), ending this section by noting that it would be better to work with the will of the pope. But O'Malley points out the crucial question in a way that invites others to examine it more closely. St. Joseph's University Press has established an excellent reputation for publishing works on the Society of Jesus that are not only elegant in presentation but of high academic quality (the nineteen pages of illustrations are not only well chosen but beautifully reproduced). So it might be forgiven the caption that indicates Pope Francis as the first pope to "ever set foot on the property of an American Jesuit school" (p. 114). Pope John Paul II used the campus of Regis University in Denver to meet with President Bill Clinton during World Youth Day in 1993. O'Malley also captures the major shifts between revolutions and reactions in the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. While he provides a thorough one-page list for further reading, the book went to press before publication of John McGreevy's American Jesuits and the World(Princeton, 2016), which explores the irony of Jesuit success in the liberal republic of the United States during the nineteenth century. The Jesuits & the Popesprovides a fascinating and clear read while eliciting thought-provoking questions for further research. O'Malley has already earned his place among the premier historians of the Society of Jesus; this work continues to demonstrate how. Mark A. Lewis S.J. Pontifical Gregorian University Copyright © 2017 The Catholic University of America Press