Everard Mercurian was the fourth Superior General

Superior General of the Society of Jesus

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus is the official title of the leader of the Society of Jesus—the Roman Catholic religious order, also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position carries the nickname of Black Pope, after his simple black priest's...

 of the Society of Jesus

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

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Brief Biography

Born 'Lardinois' into a humble family in Marcourt, near La Roche-en-Ardenne

La Roche-en-Ardenne

La Roche-en-Ardenne is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 147.52 km², had 4,348 inhabitants, giving a population density of 29.5 inhabitants per km²....

 in what is now the province of Luxembourg (Belgium)

Luxembourg (Belgium)

Luxembourg is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, France, and the Belgian provinces of Namur and Liège. Its capital is Arlon, in the south-east of the province.It has an area of 4,443 km², making it the largest Belgian province...

 in 1514, in the south-east corner of what is now Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. This is the origin of his name, which he signed Everard de Marcour. After study in the University of Paris

University of Paris

The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...

, he was ordained and became a parish priest. He became acquainted with Jesuits at the University and on 8 September 1548 he entered the Jesuits in the Low Countries

Low Countries

The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....

. The Society was expanding rapidly and he became Visitor of the German Province and later Provincial of the Lower German Province and lastly the German Assistant in 1565.

General Congregation III (1573)

Francis Borgia

Francis Borgia

Saint Francis Borgia, 4th duke of Gandía, 3rd Father General of the Jesuit Order, Grandee of Spain, was a Spanish Jesuit and third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was canonized on 20 June 1670.-Early life:He was born Francesco Borgia de Candia d'Aragon within the Duchy of Gandía,...

, then Superior General of the Society, died just before the Third General Congregation was about to convene. Pope Gregory XIII

Pope Gregory XIII

Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...

, who was a good friend of the Society, expressed his desire that the delegates elect a General who was not a Spaniard. Thus Mercurian became the first non-Spanish general of the Society, even though Polanco, a Spaniard, seemed to be the natural choice. This, however, caused dissatisfaction and opposition among a number of the Spanish and Portuguese members, which came to a crisis during the generalate of Father Mercurian's successor, Father Claudius Acquaviva.

National sensitivities of the time are thought to have motivated the Pope. The first three Generals, Ignatius

Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...

, Lainez

Diego Laynez

Several spellings of his names are in use and some of them can be found in other Wikipedia articlesJames Laynez was a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian, and the 2nd Superior General of the Society of Jesus.He was born in Almazán in Castile...

 and Borgia

Francis Borgia

Saint Francis Borgia, 4th duke of Gandía, 3rd Father General of the Jesuit Order, Grandee of Spain, was a Spanish Jesuit and third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was canonized on 20 June 1670.-Early life:He was born Francesco Borgia de Candia d'Aragon within the Duchy of Gandía,...

 had been Spaniards and there was some concern that "New Christians" — converted Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 or Muslims, — might enter into the mainstream of the Society and Spanish Christians were more likely to have such backgrounds. Polanco, a close associate of St. Ignatius

Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...

, was a Spaniard and was suspected of having a racial background that would not be acceptable. The Fathers of the Congregation voted 27 out of 47 on April 23 1573 for the election of Everard Mercurian, a Belgian. It was a choice which pleased the Pope because Mercurian was a good friend, a non-Spaniard, and besides, there was no chance of his having tainted blood.

Constitutions

Father Mercurian brought the rules of the Society to their final form during his seven years and three months as General, compiling the "Summary of the Constitutions" from the manuscripts of St. Ignatius, and drawing up the "Common Rules" of the Society, and the particular rules of each office.

English College

From his friend Gregory, the Society received charge of the English College and Gregory's beneficence to the Roman College was much appreciated.

Polanco's Census

During this time, too, Polanco traveled the length and breadth of Europe making a census of the Society's activities and of its men. When it was finally finished it filled six large volumes and gave a detailed account of the progress the Society had made from 1537 until the death of Ignatius.

Foreign Missions

He was greatly interested in the foreign missions and established the Maronite mission of Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

. He appointed Alessandro Valignano

Alessandro Valignano

Alessandro Valignano, , was a Jesuit missionary born in Chieti, back then part of the Kingdom of Naples, who helped supervise the introduction of Catholicism to the Far East, and especially to Japan....

 General Visitor of all the missions in Asia (India, Japan, Moluccas). The Visitor had extensive power and changed completely the missionary outlook, insisting on the learning of the oriental languages, understanding and adopting local customs as well as admitting to the seminary and priesthood local youth. This new missionary approach allowed the emergence of such outstanding missionaries and orientalists as Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....

 (in China) Roberto de Nobili

Roberto de Nobili

Roberto de Nobili was an Italian Jesuit missionary to Southern India. He used a novel method of adaptation to preach Christianity, adopting many local customs of India which were, in his view, not contrary to Christianity.Born in Montepulciano, Tuscany in September 1577, Roberto de Nobili arrived...

 (in India) and others.

He was very reluctant to get the Jesuits involved in the attempt to influence politics in England under Queen Elizabeth I, but he was finally persuaded to send Edmund Campion

Edmund Campion

Saint Edmund Campion, S.J. was an English Roman Catholic martyr and Jesuit priest. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Protestant England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason by a kangaroo court, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn...

 and Robert Persons to support the Catholics in England, with strict instructions to avoid politics or treason. However, Pope Gregory XIII

Pope Gregory XIII

Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...

 met with Campion and Persons before their departure from Rome and completely subverted Mercurian's instructions. He had also, unbeknownst to them, sent support before them to the Irish rebel James Fitzmaurice

James FitzMaurice FitzGerald

James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald was a member of the 16th century ruling Geraldine dynasty in the province of Munster in Ireland. He rebelled against the crown authority of Queen Elizabeth I of England in response to the onset of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was deemed an archtraitor...

, thereby seriously compromising their non-political stance.

Death

Father Everard Mercurian passed thirty-two years in the Society, and died at the age of sixty-six. At that time the Society numbered 5000 members in eighteen provinces. He died, a martyr of charity

Martyr of charity

In the Catholic church, a martyr of charity is someone who dies as a result of administering Christian charity. While a martyr of the faith dies through being persecuted for being a Catholic or for being a Christian, a martyr of charity dies through practising charity motivated by Christianity...

, during the influenza

Influenza

Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...

 epidemic of 1580 while visiting the sick in their homes. He was buried in the Church of St. Andrea al Quirinale, at that time the church of the Novitiate. Later on, his remains were transferred to the Ossuary in the crypt of the church of the Gesù

Church of the Gesu

The Church of the Gesù is the mother church of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. Officially named , its facade is "the first truly baroque façade", introducing the baroque style into architecture ,. The church served as model for innumerable Jesuit...

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