The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-09

10 HRM0 Oh NNU ~ANANA -
~ Authority on Canon L~aw-AuthOr o.
Nam BoOks-OrthOdOx n Progress
s,yr-Grea Powers OF the once.
s,,,,ai Cable DespatcA 10 THn SUN.
vo,,r sept. s.-The Rev. Father Wernz,
G.-roan. the rector Of the Gregorian
n-STarsitv. has been elected General Of the
SIS,,its and the Pope has approved the
choice.
rbs Rev. Francis Xavier wernz was born
4,.r,An years ago at Rothwell, Wurtem-
80 Germany. When he was IS years old
- bsuan the studies necessary TO mt him
-, membership in the order Of which he
=. VOW the head. This couTse covered a
-.riod Of eighteen years, as no one can be-
-. a Jesuit priest until he is 80, the
" wbich Christ died. Father Wernz
.Sowad himself to be a brilliant scholar as
~SI, az a profound theologian, and twenty
,hrae wears age he was appointed professor
,n the Gregorian University. In 1904 he
-,s made rector Of the university.
Father Wernz has written many books
A.sEns with the deepest questions OF canon
isw His works nave been published and
.hsv are the standard authority on the
s0hiscts with which they deal. Although
v,tls known to the public, be has been
recognized within the order as n OF its
most learned members. He Is a consulting
member Of the Congregation Ecclesiastio
md Of the Index Council. Although
s,1ctly orthodox, he is progressive and
vigorous, and it is predicted that he will
hsvs a most successful career as General
- the ~Jesuits. 1t Is related Of him that
wben he was a boy an old gypsy woman
cradicted that he would be greater than
king or Pope,
There is the man Of the future she is
aid 10 have exclaimed, raising her hands
shove her head. He will command men,
-Win he be- made king Of the gypsiesp'
asked one Of her listeners.
sHe will be greater than that,' tho for
h,ne teller replied. Others may DO king
Of the gypsies, but he win be Pope Of the
WpsieS,.
The proceeding for the selection OF a
General Of the Society Of Jesus IL almost
"a solemn as the election Of q Pope and
scaroelv Of less interest to the clergy OF
the Church. for the head OF the order Is
looked upon as only less powerful than the
Holv Father himself. The first General
was St. ~Ignatius Loyoa, q nobleman OF
Biscay and a soldier Of great valor, who
resolved to take up the work Of the Church
while recovering from a severe wound
which he received while defending Pam
pefuna against France In 1921.
As might be expected from the man and
the times, a military and a monarchical
spirit pervaded him. He resolved to es-
tablish in his order "a general whom all,
bv 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 O the general Of the order holds
to-day and the discipline Of the Jesuits is
absolute. As the society has thousands
OF highly educated members, skilled no less
in diplomacy than in theology, who owe
direct allegiance, not to the bishop Of the
diocese in which they are stationed, but to
the general of the order whose headquarters
are at Rome, it can easily be seen what a
power the head Of the society wields.
Among the generals there have been Span
iards, Italians, Germans, Poles and Bel
gians. but never, it ia said, a Frenchman,
an Englishman or an American.
The rules Of the society are most severe
as laid down by the founder. The fourth
VOW that he prescribed was TINT OF going
without question wherever the Pope might
think fit to send them for the salvation OF
souls. Hence the great missionary enter
prses they established in China, India and
this country in the early days. As TO prop
erty, he resolved that the professed fathers
Of the society should possess no real estate
Or revenues, either individually or in COM
mon. 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 for no Office and take no eocleeiasti-
cal dignity unless constrained by the Pope
under pain Of mortal sin.