3. Switzerland

It was only during the 17th century that the Jesuits succeeded in establishing themselves successfully in Switzerland, after having been called, then banished, by a few cities of the Confederation, during the second half of the 16th century.

The archbishop of Milan, Charles Borromee, who had favoured their installation at Lucerne in 1578, soon realised what the results of their actions would be, as we are reminded by J. Huber: “Charles Borromee wrote to his confessor that the Company of Jesus, governed by heads more political than religious, is becoming too powerful to preserve the necessary moderation and submission… She rules over kings and princes, and governs temporal and spiritual affairs; the pious institution has lost the spirit which animated her originally; we shall be compelled to abolish it”.(22)

At the same time in France, the famous legal expert Etienne Pasquiet wrote: “Introduce this Order in our midst and, at the same time, you will introduce dissension, chaos and confusion”.(23)

Is it not this identical complaint heard over and over again, and in all countries, against the Company? It was the same in Switzerland, when the evidence of her evil deeds broke through the flattering appearances with which she excelled in covering herself.

(22) J. Huber op.cit., p.131.
(23) Cite by H. Fulop-Miller: “Les Jesuites et le secret de leur puissance” (Plon, Paris 1933 p.57)

“Wherever the Jesuits managed to take root, they seduced great and small, young and old. Very soon, the authorities would start consulting them in important circumstances; their donations started flowing in, and it was not long before they occupied all the schools, the pulpits of most churches, the confessionals of all high ranking and influential people. Confessors looking after the education of all classes of Society, counsellors and intimate friends of members of the Council, their influence grew day after day, and they did not wait long before exercising it in public affairs. Lucerne and Fribourg were their main centres; from there, they conducted the exterior politics of most Catholic cantons…

“Any plan forged in Rome, or by other foreign powers, against Protestantism in Switzerland was assured of the Jesuits’ full support… “In 1620, they were successful in making the Catholic population of the Veltlin rise against the Protestants and they slaughtered six hundred. The pope gave indulgence to all those who took part in that horrible deed. “In 1656, they kindled civil war between members of the various confessions… Later again a new war of religion was started by the Jesuits. “In 1712, peace was being discussed in Aarau; Lucerne and Uri had just accepted it when the Jesuits, on an order from Rome, did all they could to reverse things. They refused absolution to all those who would hesitate to take up arms. They proclaimed loudly from their pulpits that one was not obliged to keep his word, when it was given to heretics; they made moderate councillors to suspect, tried to remove them from their posts and provoked, in Lucerne, such a threatening uprising of the people against the government that the supreme authority resigned herself to break the peace. The Catholics were defeated in the fight which followed and signed an ponerous peace.

Since that time, the Order’s influence in Switzerland became smaller and smaller”.(24)

Today, article 51 of the Swiss constitution forbids the Society of Jesus to hold any cultural or educative activity on the territory of the Confederation, and efforts made to abolish this rule have always been defeated.

(24) J. Huber, op.cit., pp.188 ss.

Download a PDF file of this article.

Please follow and like us: