Assisi or Xavier?

[JReducation]

The name is a cross-the-aisle sort of gesture. The Franciscans are the age-old rivals of the Jesuits, and indeed were instrumental in their suppression. In choosing such a name he’s also laying that rivalry to rest and, though a Jesuit, identifying with much that the Franciscans represent.

That’s not quite accurate. We are not rivals. There is a very relationship between the four controlling orders in the Church: Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans and Salesians.

What happened was very different than what the laity make it out to be. During the reign of Clement, a Franciscan friar, there was rivalry between the state and the Jesuits. The Jesuits owned a great deal of land and had a great deal of money to run their operations. The state accused the Jesuits of all kinds of things, most of which were heretical.

The Franciscan friars stupidly bought right into it and complained to Pope Clement. As they did, he Holy Father suppressed one Jesuit province at a time. He never suppressed the entire order. The Swiss province was never suppressed. The Jesuits took refuge there.

When a new Franciscan Minister General was elected, he looked into the allegations and found out that the charges against the Jesuits were trumped up and that the Franciscans has cooperate with evil. He ordered the Franciscan to recant under penalty of excommunication. The Franciscans recanted and the Jesuits were returned to their provinces.

Later, the Jesuits would make a very humbling gesture. At a general congregation (general chapter), they wrote an open letter to the Franciscans inviting them to work alongside them. The Franciscans accepted and together they ventured into the foreign missions to this day.

Thanks for clarifying. I always appreciate your explanations. Would you mind explaning to me the definition of Seraphic? I assume it’s more an adjective, but wanted to make sure it didn’t have a specific meaning in our faith.

A seraph is an angel that is the closest to the throne of God. He is so close to God that he is aflame with divine love. The Catholic Church honors St. Francis as the Seraphic Father and St. Bonaventure as the Seraphic Doctor. The papacy said that no two saints have burned with such great love or been so close to Christ as these two men. They are known under the title Seraphic.

 

[Boulder257]

A seraph is an angel that is the closest to the throne of God. He is so close to God that he is aflame with divine love. The Catholic Church honors St. Francis as the Seraphic Father and St. Bonaventure as the Seraphic Doctor. The papacy said that no two saints have burned with such great love or been so close to Christ as these two men. They are known under the title Seraphic.

Wow, that is really cool!