View source for Superior general of the Society of Jesus

{{short description|Leader of the Society of Jesus}}
{{redirect|Black Pope}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Superior General
| body = the Society of Jesus
| native_name = {{lang|la|Praepositus Generalis}}
| insignia = Ihs-logo.svg
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = Seal of the Society of Jesus
| flag = 
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| image = Arturo Sosa in January 2017.jpg
| imagesize = 
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| incumbent = [[Arturo Sosa]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = 14 October 2016
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| seat = 
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| termlength = 
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| precursor = 
| formation = 19 April 1541
| first = [[Ignatius of Loyola]]
| last = 
| abolished = 
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}}
{{Jesuit}}

The '''superior general of the Society of Jesus''' is the leader of the [[Society of Jesus]], the [[Catholic]] religious order also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as '''Father General'''. The position sometimes carries the nickname of the '''Black Pope''', because of his responsibility for the largest male religious order, in contrast with the white garb of the [[pope]]. The thirty-first and current superior general is Fr [[Arturo Sosa]], elected by the 36th [[General Congregation]] on 14 October 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/10/14/jesuits-elect-first-latin-american-general/|title=Jesuits elect first Latin-American general|date=2016-10-14|work=Crux|access-date=2017-05-30|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Titles==
[[File:Ignatius Loyola.jpg|thumb|left|160px|[[Ignatius of Loyola]], first Superior General]]

The formal title in [[Latin]] is ''Praepositus Generalis'', which may fairly be rendered as "superior general" or even, "president general". The term is like that of military usage (and Ignatius of Loyola had a military background) which is derived from "general", as opposed to "particular". This usage is consistent with other Catholic religious orders, like the Dominicans' "[[Dominican Order|master general]]", Franciscans' "[[minister general]]", Carthusians' "prior general", and with civil posts such as [[United States Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] and [[Attorney general|Attorney General]].  The Jesuits are organized into provinces, each with a [[provincial superior]], (usually referred to as the "Father Provincial" or just "Provincial"), with the head of the order being the "general superior", for the whole organization. As a major superior, the Superior General is styled "Very Reverend".

==Black Pope==
"Black Pope" is an unofficial designation given to the position of Superior General of the Order of the Jesuits.<ref>{{cite book | title = A view from Rome: on the eve of the modernist crisis | author = commandprompt6 | page = Back cover | isbn = 0823213595 | publisher = [[Fordham University Press]] | year = 1993 }}</ref> The name follows from his leadership of the largest Catholic, male religious order<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jesuits|title=Jesuit {{!}} religious order|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-05-30|language=en}}</ref> and from the colour of the plain black cassock worn by members of the Society, including the Superior General.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-01-19|title=Spaniard becomes Jesuits' new "black pope"|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-jesuits-idUSL1941405320080119|access-date=2022-01-19}}</ref> This may have originated from a past concern (most prominent around the 16th and 17th centuries) among [[Protestantism|Protestant]] European countries concerning the relative power of the Jesuits within the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and partly because the Superior General, like the Pope, is elected for life.
[[File:Pedro Arrupe, S.J., memorial - University of San Francisco - San Francisco, CA - DSC02663.JPG|160px|thumb|left|Pedro Arrupe]]

==Powers==
The Superior General is invested with governing power over all the members of the Society, but customarily leads through Provincial superiors under him. Such power follows from the [[religious vows]] that bind members to community life, as in other religious orders.

==Succession==
Superiors General are elected by the General Congregation of the Society, summoned upon the resignation or death of an incumbent. Superiors General are elected for life and up to recently, as with the Popes, have served life terms. The exceptions being Father [[Pedro Arrupe]] (resigned for reasons of failing health) and both his successors, Father [[Peter Hans Kolvenbach]] and Father [[Adolfo Nicolás]]. On 2 October 2016, General Congregation 36 convened in Rome, convoked by Superior General Nicolás, and it elected Father [[Arturo Sosa]] as the thirty-first Superior General.

==List of Superiors General==
Until the 21st century, it was customary for Superiors General to rule for life. Where they left office before death, the date of death is listed below the date they left office. (Pedro Arrupe resigned in 1983 after a paralyzing stroke.)
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|- style="background:#cccccc"
! {{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! Superior General
! class="unsortable"|Portrait
! Took office
! Left office<br>Deceased
! Birthplace{{efn|Lists the present-day name and nationality of the city in question.}}
! Duration (in days)
|-
| '''1'''
| [[Ignatius of Loyola]]
| [[File:Ignatius von Loyola.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1541|4|19|df=y}}
| {{dts|1556|7|31|df=y}}
| [[Azpeitia]], [[Spain]]
| {{nts|5582}}
|-
| '''2'''
| {{sortname|Diego|Laynez}}
| [[File:Portret van de jezuïet Jacobus Laynez Portretten van generaal oversten van de jezuïeten (serietitel) Effigies præpositorvm generalivm societatis Iesv (serietitel), RP-P-1910-4016.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1558|7|2|df=y}}
| {{dts|1565|1|19|df=y}}
| [[Almazán]], Spain
| {{nts|2393}}
|-
| '''3'''
| {{sortname|Francis|Borgia|Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía}}
| [[File:Portret van de jezuïet Franciscus Borgia Portretten van generaal oversten van de jezuïeten (serietitel) Effigies præpositorvm generalivm societatis Iesv (serietitel), RP-P-1913-2512.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1565|7|2|df=y}}
| {{dts|1572|10|1|df=y}}
| [[Gandia]], Spain
| {{nts|2648}}
|-
| '''4'''
| {{sortname|Everard|Mercurian}}
| [[File:Portret van de jezuïet Everardus Mercurianus Portretten van generaal oversten van de jezuïeten (serietitel) Effigies præpositorvm generalivm societatis Iesv (serietitel), RP-P-1907-3912.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1573|4|23|df=y}}
| {{dts|1580|8|1|df=y}}
| [[La Roche-en-Ardenne]], [[Belgium]]
| {{nts|2657}}
|-
| '''5'''
| {{sortname|Claudio|Acquaviva}}
| [[File:Portret van de jezuïet Claudius Aquaviva Portretten van generaal oversten van de jezuïeten (serietitel) Effigies præpositorvm generalivm societatis Iesv (serietitel), RP-P-1909-1354.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1581|2|19|df=y}}
| {{dts|1615|1|31|df=y}}
| [[Atri, Italy|Atri]], [[Italy]]
| {{nts|12399}}
|-
| '''6'''
| {{sortname|Mutio|Vitelleschi}}
|[[File:Mutio Vitelleschi - Ordensgeneral der Jesuiten.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1615|11|15|df=y}}
| {{dts|1645|2|9|df=y}}
| [[Rome]], Italy
| {{nts|10679}}
|-
| '''7'''
| {{sortname|Vincenzo|Carafa}}
| [[File:Ritratti de prepositi generali della Compagnia di Gesù-Carafa.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1646|1|7|df=y}}
| {{dts|1649|6|8|df=y}}
| [[Naples]], Italy
| {{nts|1248}}
|-
| '''8'''
| {{sortname|Francesco|Piccolomini|dab=Jesuit}}
| [[File:Ritratti de prepositi generali della Compagnia di Gesù-piccolomini.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1649|12|21|df=y}}
| {{dts|1651|6|17|df=y}}
| [[Siena]], Italy
| {{nts|543}}
|-
| '''9'''
| {{sortname|Aloysius|Gottifredi}}
| [[File:AlexanderGottifredi.png|100px]]
| {{dts|1652|1|21|df=y}}
| {{dts|1652|3|12|df=y}}
| Rome, Italy
| {{nts|51}}
|-
| '''10'''
| {{sortname|Goschwin|Nickel}}
| [[File:Goswin Nickel.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1652|3|17|df=y}}
| {{dts|1664|7|31|df=y}}
| [[Jülich]], [[Germany]]
| {{nts|4519}}
|-
| '''11'''
| {{sortname|Giovanni Paolo|Oliva}}
| [[File:Giovanni Paolo Oliva.png|100px]]
| {{dts|1664|7|31|df=y}}
| {{dts|1681|11|26|df=y}}
| [[Genoa]], Italy
| {{nts|6327}}
|-
| '''12'''
| {{sortname|Charles de|Noyelle}}
| [[File:CharlesNoyelle.JPG|100px]]
| {{dts|1682|7|5|df=y}}
| {{dts|1686|12|12|df=y}}
| [[Brussels]], Belgium
| {{nts|1621}}
|-
| '''13'''
| {{sortname|Thyrsus González de|Santalla}}
| [[File:Thyrsus González - Ordensgeneral der Jesuiten.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1687|7|6|df=y}}
| {{dts|1705|10|27|df=y}}
| [[Arganza]], Spain
| {{nts|6688}}
|-
| '''14'''
| {{sortname|Michelangelo|Tamburini}}
| [[File:MTamburini.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1706|1|31|df=y}}
| {{dts|1730|2|28|df=y}}
| [[Modena]], Italy
| {{nts|8521}}
|-
| '''15'''
| {{sortname|Franz|Retz}}
| [[File:FRetz.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1730|3|7|df=y}}
| {{dts|1750|11|19|df=y}}
| [[Prague]], [[Bohemia]]
| {{nts|7562}}
|-
| '''16'''
| {{sortname|Ignacio|Visconti}}
| [[File:IVisconti.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1751|7|4|df=y}}
| {{dts|1755|5|4|df=y}}
| [[Milan]], Italy
| {{nts|1389}}
|-
| '''17'''
| {{sortname|Aloysius|Centurione}}
| [[File:ACenturione.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1755|11|30|df=y}}
| {{dts|1757|10|2|df=y}}
| Genoa, Italy
| {{nts|672}}
|-
| '''18'''
| {{sortname|Lorenzo|Ricci}}
| [[File:LRicci.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1758|5|21|df=y}}
| {{dts|1773|8|16|df=y}}<br>24 November 1775<br>21 July 1773<br>{{small|(''[[Suppression of the Society of Jesus|suppressed]]'')}}
| [[Florence]], Italy
| {{nts|5566}}
|-
| '''—'''
| {{sortname|Stanislaus|Czerniewicz}}{{efn|name=vg|Vicar General}}
| [[File:Stanislaus Czerniewicz, SJ.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1782|10|17|df=y}}
| {{dts|1785|10|21|df=y}}
| [[Kaunas]], [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
| {{nts|1100}}
|-
| '''—'''
| {{sortname|Gabriel|Lenkiewicz}}{{efn|name=vg}}
|
| {{dts|1785|10|8|df=y}}
| {{dts|1798|10|21|df=y}}
| [[Polotsk]], Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
| {{nts|4761}}
|-
| '''—'''
| {{sortname|Franciszek|Kareu}}{{efn|Vicar General until 7 March 1801, Superior General for Russia thereafter.}}
| [[File:Franciszek Kareu (1731-1802).jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1799|2|12|df=y}}
| {{dts|1802|8|11|df=y}}
| [[Orsha]], Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
| {{nts|1275}}
|-
| '''—'''
| {{sortname|Gabriel|Gruber}}{{efn|Superior General for Russia only.}}
| [[File:Gabriel Gruber.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1802|10|22|df=y}}
| {{dts|1805|4|6|df=y}}
| [[Vienna]], [[Austria]]
| {{nts|897}}
|-
| '''19'''
| {{sortname|Tadeusz|Brzozowski}}{{efn|Superior General for Russia only from 14 September 1805 to 7 August 1814.}}
| [[File:T.Brzozowski.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1814|8|7|df=y}}
| {{dts|1820|2|5|df=y}}
| [[Königsberg]], [[Prussia]]
| {{nts|2008}}
|-
| '''20'''
| {{sortname|Luigi|Fortis}}
| [[File:Fortis.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1820|10|18|df=y}}
| {{dts|1829|1|27|df=y}}
| [[Verona]], Italy
| {{nts|3023}}
|-
| '''21'''
| {{sortname|Jan|Roothaan}}
| [[File:Jean-Philippe Roothaan (1785-1853)b.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1829|7|9|df=y}}
| {{dts|1853|5|8|df=y}}
| [[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
| {{nts|8704}}
|-
| '''22'''
| {{sortname|Peter Jan|Beckx}}
| [[File:Pierre-Jean Beckx (22ème Général des Jésuites).jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1853|8|2|df=y}}
| {{dts|1887|3|4|df=y}}
| [[Scherpenheuvel-Zichem]], Belgium
| {{nts|12267}}
|-
| '''23'''
| {{sortname|Anton|Anderledy}}
| [[File:Anderledy.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1887|3|4|df=y}}
| {{dts|1892|1|18|df=y}}
| [[Berisal]], [[Switzerland]]
| {{nts|1781}}
|-
| '''24'''
| {{sortname|Luis|Martín}}
| [[File:Gemälde - Luis Martin SJ.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1892|10|2|df=y}}
| {{dts|1906|4|18|df=y}}
| [[Melgar de Fernamental]], Spain
| {{nts|4945}}
|-
| '''25'''
| {{sortname|Franz Xavier|Wernz}}
| [[File:Gemälde - Franz Xaver Wernz SJ.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1906|9|8|df=y}}
| {{dts|1914|8|20|df=y}}
| [[Rottweil]], Germany
| {{nts|2903}}
|-
| '''26'''
| {{sortname|Wlodimir|Ledóchowski}}
| [[File:Ledochowski.tif|100px]]
| {{dts|1915|2|11|df=y}}
| {{dts|1942|12|13|df=y}}
| [[Loosdorf]], Austria
| {{nts|10167}}
|-
| '''27'''
| {{sortname|Jean-Baptiste|Janssens}}
| [[File:Jean-Baptiste Janssens (1889-1964).jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1946|9|15|df=y}}
| {{dts|1964|10|5|df=y}}
| [[Mechelen]], Belgium
| {{nts|6595}}
|-
| '''28'''
| {{sortname|Pedro|Arrupe}}
| [[File:Bilbao - Universidad de Deusto, Monumento a Pedro Arrupe.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|1965|5|22|df=y}}
| {{dts|1983|9|3|df=y}}<br>5 February 1991
| [[Bilbao]], Spain
| {{nts|6678}}
|-
| '''29'''
| {{sortname|Peter Hans|Kolvenbach}}
| [[File:KolvenbachCut.png|100px]]
| {{dts|1983|9|13|df=y}}
| {{dts|2008|1|14|df=y}}<br>26 November 2016
| [[Druten]], Netherlands
| {{nts|8889}}
|-
| '''30'''
| {{sortname|Adolfo|Nicolás}}
| [[File:AdolfoNicolas.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|2008|1|19|df=y}}
| {{dts|2016|10|03|df=y}}<br>20 May 2020
| [[Villamuriel de Cerrato]], Spain
| {{nts|3169}}
|-
| '''31'''
| {{sortname|Arturo|Sosa}}
|[[File:Arturo Sosa in January 2017.jpg|100px]]
| {{dts|2016|10|14|df=y}}
| '''Incumbent'''
| [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]]
| {{nts|{{age in days|2016|10|14}}}}
|-
|}

==Leadership during suppression==
[[File:St. Francis Borgia Helping a Dying Impenitent by Goya.jpg|thumb|right|Saint [[Francis Borgia]], depicted performing an exorcism, served as the third Superior General.]]

In 1773, the Jesuits were [[Suppression of the Society of Jesus|suppressed]] by [[Pope Clement XIV]], through the [[Papal brief]] ''[[Dominus ac Redemptor]]'' on 21 July 1773, executed 16 August. The leaders of the order, in the nations where the Papal suppression order was not enforced, were known as temporary Vicars General.

The temporary Vicars General were:
* [[Stanislaus Czerniewicz]] (17 October 1782 – 21 October 1785)
* [[Gabriel Lenkiewicz]] (8 October 1785 – 21 October 1798)
* [[Franciszek Kareu]] (12 February 1799 – 7 March 1801)

On 7 March 1801, [[Pope Pius VII]] issued the brief ''Catholicae fidei'', giving approval to the existence of the Society in Russia and allowing the Society there to elect a Superior General for Russia. This was the first step to the Society's eventual restoration.

The Superiors General in Russia were:
* [[Franciszek Kareu]] (7 March 1801 – 11 August 1802)
* [[Gabriel Gruber]] (22 October 1802 – 6 April 1805)
* [[Tadeusz Brzozowski]] (14 September 1805 – 7 August 1814)

The order was restored on 7 August 1814, by Pope Pius VII, through the [[papal bull]] ''[[Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum]]''.

==See also==
* [[Admonitor (Jesuits)]]

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.goajesuits.in The Goa Jesuit Province of the Society of Jesus]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050515074451/http://www.nysj.org/history/province_history_generals.asp New York Jesuit Province History Page on the Suppression]
{{Jesuits}}
[[Category:Superiors General of the Society of Jesus| ]]
[[Category:Lists of Christian religious leaders|Society of Jesus, Superior General of the]]