Pope Francis was the first Jesuit pope of the Catholic Church. What is a Jesuit?

Pope Francis , the Catholic Church's 266th pontiff, was the first Jesuit to lead the church in its nearly 2,000-year history. Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, died April 21 at age 88 . He was the first pope to come from the Americas , a distinction he touted during his opening address upon becoming the leader of the church and its billion-plus followers.

More than 200,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 26 to honor the late pope at a funeral service and procession, according to Vatican News . Fr.



Arturo Sosa, S.J., Jesuit Superior General, said Francis consistently aimed to turn God's will into action in order to promote "the transformation of humanity to make this world a worthy home for all human beings,” Vatican News reported .

What is a Jesuit? The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic order founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. According to the Jesuits' website , the Jesuits represent 14,000-plus priests, brothers, scholastics and novices worldwide, making it one of the church's largest male religious orders. The number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000 .

Jesuits adhere to Ignatian spirituality as laid out a document called the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, which sets guidelines for meditation, self-awareness and prayer. Jesuits strive to be “contemplatives in action,” turning their spirituality into action, and are known for their efforts to promote global justice, peace and dialogue. The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities lists 27 member schools in the U.

S., including Georgetown University, Gonzaga University, Boston College, Saint Louis University, Fordham University and the College of the Holy Cross. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is a Jesuit? Francis was the first Jesuit pope.

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