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Jesuit global mission network

Type Object Region Europe Time 1540

After papal approval in 1540, the Society of Jesus organized transnational missions around the Spiritual Exercises and strict discipline, forming a g…

Timeline

  1. 1540Rome · ItalyPope Paul III approved Ignatius of Loyola's founding of the Society of Jesus, promulgating the Roman Constitutions and establishing organizational principles of centralization, equal emphasis on education and mission, and absolute loyalty to the pope.
  2. c. 1542–1552Goa · IndiaMissionaries such as Francis Xavier entered India, Southeast Asia, and Japan via the Portuguese sea route, establishing the Province of the East in Goa as a mission hub and supply node for Asia.
  3. c. 1549–1570Brazil · BrazilJesuits entered the American colonies of Brazil and Paraguay and the African coasts, establishing reduction settlements that combined mission, education, and colonial governance.
  4. 1571–1580Rome · ItalyBy the 1570s the Jesuits had established dozens of provinces worldwide, with the Roman general headquarters coordinating dispatch, finances, and theological review; university networks and court missions ran in parallel, making it the most active transnational religious institution after the Council of Trent.

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