Ignatius of Loyola

Lifetime: Born in 1491, died in 1556 at the age of 65.

Order : Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Founded: Paris, France, 1541, at the age of 50.

Mission: Preaching and evangelization according to the will of the pope

Impact: There were 938 members at the time of Ignatius’s death. During the Counter-Reformation they played an extremely prominent role in revivifying Catholicism spiritually and intellectually, halting the advances of Protestantism, and regaining lost ground in the Low Countries, France, and Central and Eastern Europe.

Quote: "Dear Lord, teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as you deserve.

To give and not to count the cost.

To fight and not to heed the wounds.

To toil and not to seek for rest.

To labor and not to seek reward save that of knowing that I do your will, O God."

Quirino Garzonio was apprehensive. The situation in Rome had changed drastically for his long-time friend Ignatius of Loyola. When Ignatius and his companions had first come to Rome, their influence upon the people had been immediate and widespread. Jesuits were teaching at the Sapienza, preaching in the churches, and revitalizing clergy and laity alike.

But all this began to change with the arrival of Fra Agostino Mainardi. This Augustinian friar had arrived in Rome while the pope was away, and had obtained permission to preach. His eloquence immediately gained him a popular following. He began to warn the people about Ignatius Loyola and his companions. He informed them that the Jesuits had been driven out of Paris on a charge of heresy and were fleeing everywhere from the Inquisition. He was aided in his plan by Michael Navarro, a passionate young man who had actually spent some time with Ignatius and his group, so he had the convincing air of one who knew the group from the inside.

Three of Agostino’s companions joined Navarro in warning important political and ecclesiastical leaders about Ignatius and his companions. The reports spread like wildfire, and the faithful began to shun the accused men. Even the authorities were preparing to condemn the Jesuits.

Now Quirino’s relative Cardinal John de Cupis, the head of the Sacred College, was trying to convince him to break off all relations with Ignatius. "They say he is fleeing from the Inquisition," the cardinal insisted.

The cardinal looked at Quirino pityingly and said, "You have been enchanted by this man. You do not know what I have heard about him; there are convincing accusations against him. Be assured, this man is very different from what you suppose."

The cardinal continued matter-of-factly, "At the very least, he is under a cloud and it is no longer prudent to continue dealing with him. You have to understand, my name is being associated with you."

Quirino insisted that it was unjust to denounce a person without a hearing. He begged the cardinal to speak with Ignatius himself and learn the real situation. Cardinal de Cupis agreed to send for Ignatius, declaring pointedly, "I shall treat him as he deserves."

The meeting happened as the cardinal had promised, and the two met for over two hours while Quirino waited anxiously outside the room. In the course of their meeting, Cardinal de Cupis was completely won over to Ignatius’s cause.

Ignatius then went straight to the Governor of Rome and expressly demanded a formal hearing. The Governor consented and fixed a time for them to appear.

While awaiting the hearing, Ignatius obtained a letter Michael Navarro had written one of his friends while still on good terms with the Jesuits. This letter praised Ignatius and the Jesuits, utterly contradicting all that Navarro had sworn under oath.

When the hearing began, Ignatius confronted Navarro with the letter, asking if he acknowledged writing it. When he replied that he did, Ignatius read it publicly; the accuser, confounded by his own words, had nothing more to say. Navarro had proved himself to be a false accuser, and he was given the customary punishment of exile.

Trying to win a definitive victory, Ignatius insisted that the other three accusers bring their cases before the Governor. They immediately changed their stories, and said they only had the highest praise for Ignatius. At this, the governor was satisfied, and the case was closed.

Ignatius, however, was still far from pleased with the outcome. He knew that without a definitive verdict of his innocence, the apostolic activities of his group would remain open to suspicion. He still had to find a way to clear his name.

Many of his companions advised Ignatius to let the matter rest, but he stubbornly refused. "We know," he wrote, "that this will not prevent us being blamed in the future, and besides, it is not what we want. We have only wished to save and protect our honor, and, at the same time, the sound doctrine and way of life we have embraced. If we are represented as ignorant, stupid people, without eloquence, or even vile, unsettled, or deceivers, we will never complain. But what afflicts us is that they represent the doctrine we preach as erroneous, and the life which we lead as bad: now these two things affect Jesus Christ and his Church."

Ignatius and his companions set to work mustering support for their cause. Contacting authorities in the cities where they had been working, they requested testimonies about the young company’s life and doctrine, and received favorable responses from Siena, Bologna, and Ferrara.

When Pope Paul III returned to Rome on July 24 from his trip to Nice, Ignatius did everything possible to secure an audience with him. In late August, the pope moved to Frascati and consented to see Ignatius there.

Ignatius stated his case before the pope. He told of his past troubles with people who resented his work and brought the Inquisition against him. He explained that he had been examined by the Inquisition in Spain, in France, and in Italy. On each occasion the verdict had been in his favor, but the magistrates kept leaving room for doubt.

"Holy Father, is this justice?" he cried. "In all three places I was told, ‘What you have done is not wrong, but do not do it again.’ They tell us we are innocent, but we should hold our tongues. We are not to be attacked, but neither can we speak out in our defense."

The pope listened and in the end gave orders for a fresh trial before the governor. When sentence on Ignatius was passed, it not only cleared him of all faults, but also went on to praise the company for the excellence of their lives and the doctrines they preached.

Ignatius would later say that this was the worst storm in the foundation of the Society of Jesus.