The Jesuit Order, Jesuit Oath, and Pope Francis

The Jesuit Order: Inigo Lopez de Loyola (otherwise known as Ignatius of Loyola) and his followers gathered in a chapel on Montmartre Hill in 1534 and vowed to live in evangelical poverty and go on a mission to Jerusalem.  They called themselves "amigos en el Senor" or "friends in the Lord".  St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuit Order, along with his followers. Ignatius dreamed of being a warrior, but his leg was shattered by a cannonball in 1521 while defending the Spanish border fortresses of Pampalona agains the French artillery.  During his recovery, he read many spiritual books, which brought abouta conversion which led him to found the Jesuit Order. The Jesuits were ordained to the Catholic priesthood in Venice and offered themselves in service to the Pope Paul III.  In 1540, Paul III approved the Institute of the Society of Jesus.  Ignatius was elected General Superior and served in that post until his death in 1556 at the age of 65.  Reference: http://www.jesuit.org/about/our-history/ (Jesuit Website)

The Jesuit Oath: "I__________ now, in the presence of Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin Mary,...declare and swear, that the Pope is Christ's Vice-regent ...power to depose heretical kins, princes, states...and that they may safely be destroyed....I furthermore promise that I will...wage relentless war...against all heritics, Protestants and Liberals...and that I will spare neither age, sex or condition; and that I will hang, waste, boil, flay, strangle and bury alive these infamous heritics, rip up the stomachs and wombs of theirwomen and crush their infants' heads against the walls, in order to annihelate forever thir execrabel race...

Pope Francis: (The Current Pope, 112th Pope): Is a Jesuit Priest