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The following decree from the 31st General Congregation briefly addresses the Society of Jesus’s relationship with the laity, a topic more fully addressed by the congregation’s delegates in another decree. Here, though, the delegates of the congregation give the newly elected superior general the responsibility for studying how the bonds between Jesuits and lay people—which […]

The Holy See traditionally has entrusted the Society of Jesus with oversight of several “interprovincial” works in and around Rome. These works at the time of the 31st General Congregation, as indicated in the decree below, included the Pontifical Gregorian University, its associated Biblical and Oriental institutes, the Vatican Radio Station, the Vatican Observatory, and

The following decree from the 31st General Congregation acknowledges that “works of art can exert a vast influence,” often providing “a special pathway to the human heart.” The decree notes the historical importance of patronage of the arts by the Society of Jesus and indicates that the tradition of “greatness in poetry, music, the theater,

Jesuits were to have “a high regard for scholarly activity, especially scientific research properly so called,” according to the following decree from the 31st General Congregation. The congregation’s delegates continue in the decree to declare that such activity “is a very effective apostolate.” Jesuits assigned to scholarly work should not be swayed by “the illusion

The delegates at the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus chose to address three pastoral institutions—and how they might change, “under the present circumstances of the Church”—namely pastoral services, residences, and parishes. The following decree urges Jesuits to renew and to “energetically” promote some pastoral works and also to cease those that “cannot

The following decree is the attempt of the delegates of the 31st General Congregation to explain the nature and reaffirm the purpose of Jesuit missionary work within the context of the Second Vatican Council. It attributes to Ignatius and his companions the reason why Jesuits have the “task of announcing the Gospel that God in

Building off observations from a previous decree, the delegates of the 31st General Congregation use this following document to call for the establishment of a commission to develop “an overall review” of apostolic ministries in the Society of Jesus. The intention of the commission, according to the decree, is “to promote the better choice of

The delegates of the 31st General Congregation assessed the apostolic works of the Society of Jesus and acknowledged that “our labors” were not yielding the desired results. The decree below credits some poor results to a failure to “renew our apostolic or missionary spirit” and a “too great scattering of our forces.” The main reason

This extended decree represents the thoughts on Jesuit community life by the delegates to the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The decree declares that “the foundation and aim of community life in the Society of Jesus” is “a community of men who are called by Christ to live with Christ, to be

The 29th and 30th General Congregations established commissions to study the topic of poverty within the Society of Jesus. The delegates at the 31st congregation, in the following document , provide extended thoughts on the purpose of poverty, especially by issuing directive norms in order to “bring about this renewal in our way of poverty.”