National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-03
THE BLACK POPE
THE GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF
IECTIS

THE GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF
JESUS.
Next to Pope Plus TX there Is unquestionsbly
no dignitary in the hierarchy Of the Roman Cath
ole Church more influential than Father 10
hannes Beckx, the General Of the Society Of
Jesus; and for this reason the people OF Rome
call the Holy Father "the White Pope" and Gen
eral Beckx "the Black Pope" The enormous
ramihcations OF the Order founded BY lgnattul
Loyola, which extend over every part Of thu
globe, all converge into the hands OF this one
man; his subtle brain directs all its movements
his iron will is an memorable law to his numerous
subordinate.
Probably at no time since the fall Of Napoleon
have the Jesuits exercised as powerful an in
fuence ct the Vatican az in the last few years. an6
this state Of affairs is due in great part, to the
extraordinary firmness and shrewdness Of the
General OF the Order. He Is . profound scholar
an excellent organiser, o brilliant and trenchant
polemicaT writer, and endowed with rare execu.
| tive talents. At the same time, notwithstanding
his advanced age, owing to an exceptionally Wig
orous constitution and life Of abstemiousness he
enjoys excellent health, and bids fair to live for
many years longer.
This remarkable man was born on the sth Of
February, 1875, at SIchem, in Belgium. His
father, poor grocer, died when his son John was
very young, and his mother had to sew and wash
in order to bring up her five sons, Of whom Jo-
hannes was the youngest. The child was ap-
prenticed, in his ninth year, to sign-painter but
that trade was so little to the taste Of young
Beckx, that he returned to his mothers house,
and for q time sang as an acolyte in the small
church at Sichem. The pastor of that church
took interest in the bright little boy, and
promised to take care Of him If his mother would
lie. him become priest. She consented joyfully,
and the young pupil began thenceforth to make
rapid progress in his classical and religious
studies. In his thirteenth year he was so familiar
with the ancient languages that he was able to
converse huently in Latin, and could read the
most dificult Greek authors and the Hebrew
Bible without the aid of q dictionary. As early
as his fifteenth year he was sent to the University
Of Louvain, and to years later to the seminary ct
Malines. At Malines, in his nineteenth year, he
held public debate with an adherent Of Lamen-
nais, and conducted his argument 90 skilfully
that the archbishop of the diocese recommended
him to the Pope as the most gifted young Catho-
lie student in the Netherlands.
The Pope sent him to the diocese Of Hides
helm, in Hanover, and there Johannes Beckx, in
1919, joined the Society Of Jesus. Thenceforth he
bent all his energies to promote the interests OF
his order and already, two years later, he accom-
plished feat which, for Q long time to come gave
an entirely new direction to the efforts and ten
denotes Of the Jesnits. It was 1872 when young
Of Anhalt Kothen to abjure the creed Of his ances
tors, and turn Catholic. For long years no SOW
ereign prince Of Europe had taken ouch q step,
and, in Beckx's skillful hands, the new convert
became most valuable instrument for appealing
to his brother sovereigns in Germany to adopt the
same course. Some of them were almost ready
to do SO, when King Frederick William III OF
Prussia, the father Of the present Emperor Will
liam l., emphatically declared bis opposition to
such tendencies. Father Beekx thenceforth be-
came bitter adversary of the king, and he de-
voted his attention. in the next few years, to
der untenable the positions of the bishops in
Prussia, who refused to be guided blindly by the
Jesuits; and he compelled the most eminent Of
these prelates, the bishop Of Breslau, Count
SedlnitZky, to abdcate.
His services were rewarded by more and more
important missions. Pope Gregory XVI. wanted
him to settle permanently in Rome, bat Father
Beckx preferred to remain Q travelling Jesuit
and in this capacity he traversed nearly the
whole continent, preaching everywhere, and ex-
citing general astonishment, not only byNhis ex-
eloquence, but also by the facility
and influence with which he spoke nearly all the
languages Of cultivated Europe.
In ls47 he was appointed Procurator of the
Jesuits for Austria, but was driven from Vienna
In March, 1873, as friend OF Prince 1Ietternich
He went to Rome, and thereupon took charge of
the Jesuit College, at LouVain.
In 1852 he received the appointment of PRO
vincial" Of his order for Hungary; and, in this
induced Count Leo Thun to conclude
the famous Concordat between Austria and the
Holy See. In the following year, Father Beckx
was elected General OF the Jesuits as a successor
Of General ROothan, and he took up his residence
in Rome. His ceaseless activity soon became pro-
verbal in the Eternal City. One Of the first steps
Of his official career in his new dignity was to
establish the Civilia CaftoIica Journal which at
1nce became the authoritative exponent Of the |
IDEAS and aspirations Of the Jesuits and the |
Vatican.
Last year Father Beckx, in consequence Of the !
'equestraton of the property of his order, left |
Rome, and temporarily settled in Florence. His |
Intention, however, is to transfer the headquar- |
.ers Of the order to Belgium, and he long ago adj
Tocated the removal Of the Holy See to the same |
country.