St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1906-09-19
The General OF the Jesults.
The Reverend Father WernZ Elected
to this Important Office.

l
| TO this Important Office.
With the exception OF the election OF a
Pope there is nothing of moreimportance
in the Catholic world than the choice OF
the General of the Jesuits A cable from
Rome to the New York Sun announces
the election of Rev. FIR. Wernz, a German
and Rector of the Gregerian University.
The Pope has approved this choice and
the following interesting sketch of the
man and thesociety appeared in the Sum-:
The Rev. Francis Xavier Wernz was
born sixty-one years ago at Rothwell,
Wurtem berg, Germany. When he was
Is years old he began the studies
necessary to fit him TOR membership in
the order OF which he is now the head.
This course covered period of eighteen
years, as no one can become Jesuit
priest until he is 33, the age at which
Christ died. Father Wernz showed him
self to be a brilliant scholar as we'll as
profound theologian, and twenty-three
years ago he was appointed professor in
the Gregorian University. In 1904 be
was made rector OF this university.
Father Wernz has written many books
dealing with the deepest questions of
canon law. His works have been pub
lished and they are the standard autho-
rity on the subjects with which they
deal. Although little known to the
public, he has been recognized within the
order as one gifts most learned members.
He is consulting member of the Con-
gregation Ecclesiastic and OF the Index
Council. Although strictly orthodox, be
is progressive and vigorous, and 1t is
predicted that be will have most sue
cessfu career as General of the Jesuits.
1t is related of him that when be was
boy an old gypsy woman predicted that
he would be greater than king or Pope.
There is the man of the future" she is
said to have exclaimed. raising her hands
above her head. "He will command
men,"
will he be made king of he gypsies?'
asked one OF her listeners.
He will be greater than that" the for
tune teller replied. "Others may be king
ofthe gypsies, but he will be Pope OF the
gypsies." N
The proceeding for the selection of
General OF the Society of Jesus is almost
as solemn as the election OF Pope aud
scarcely of less interest to the clergy of
the Church, for the head of the order is
looked upon as only less powerful than
the Holy Father himself. The first
General was St. Ignatis Loyola, a noble
man Of Biscay and soldier of great
valor, who resolved to take up the work
of the Church while recovering from
severe wound which he received while
defending Pampeluna againt France in
1921.
As might be expected from the man
and the times, military aud monarchi.
cal spirit prevailed him. He resolved to
establish in his order "a general whom
all, by their vows, should be bound to
obey, who should be perpetual and his
authority absolute, subject entirely to
the Pope but not liable to be restrained
by chapters"
This power the general of the order
holds today and the discipline of the
Jesuits is absolute. AS the society has
thousands of highly educated mem bers,
skilled no less in diplomacy than in theo.
logy, who owe direct allegience, not to
the bishop OF the diocese in which they
are stationed, but to the general order,
whose headquarters are at Rome, it can
easily BE- seen what power the head of
the society yields. Among the generals
there have been Spaniards, Italians. Ger.
mans, Poles and Belgians, but never, it is
SAID, Frenchman, an Englshman or an
American. tI 0##0N
The rules of the society are most severe
as laid down by the founder. The fourth
VOW that he prescribed was that of going
without question wherever the Pope
might think fit to send them for the sal
walton OF souls. Hence the great mission
airy enterprises they establishedin China,
India and this country in the early days.
AS to property, he resolved that the pro-
tossed fathers of the society should pos
sess no real estate or revenues. either
individually or in common. He gave his
followers no particular habit because he
designed them to live in the world and
to be continually mixing with it. None
could be received who wore the habit OF
another order. A Jesuit must canvass
Tor no office and take no ecclesiastical
dignity unless constrained by the pope
under pain of mortal sin.