Evil Jesuit

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A character type generally found in works set or written in the The Cavalier Years although some are later examples, this is what you get when you cross the Church Militant with Wicked Cultured. Historically, the Jesuits were known for their military character, their education, and their missionary endeavors, and attracted a reputation for finding clever arguments to excuse any kind of behavior (see Casuistry). One common plot is to have Jesuit characters throw off their clerical attire to assume a role as civilians, often military leaders.

In Real Life, the "Black Pope" is a derogatory term coined in Protestant European polities during the 16th Century referring to Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Often considered irredeemably evil by those who coined the term in the first place, the so-called Black Popes were only as bad as their own personal failings (which varied from Superior General to Superior General just like behavior varies from person to person). A number were decent people overall, and were even open-minded (for their time) and backed scientific advancements.

No real life examples, please; calling real-life people "evil" is an extremely bad idea.

Examples of Evil Jesuit include:

Comic Books

• According to Jack Chick, the Jesuits are the High Priest Vatican Assassin Warlocks of the Catholic Church who are actively working for Satan and are responsible for all the evil in the modern world.

Film

• Averted in The Mission: Father Gabriel is a benevolent Jesuit missionary, and the evil role goes to Captain Mendoza.

Literature

• In Jeff Long's The Descent, the leader of the Hadals, and the inspiration for Satan, posed as a Jesuit.
  • In a later novel he was retconned as just a disciple of Satan, but in some ways nastier than the Devil himself, since he has real human vileness in him, while Satan is just an example of alien Blue and Orange Morality.
• The Victorian historical novel Henry Esmond has a Father Holt who gets involved in the Jacobite Rebellion and at one point is shown in Germany commanding Catholic military forces under the name Holtz. More "evil" because he's Catholic than because of anything the character actually does - he's more like a Poisonous Friend to the hero than an actual villain.
• Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle has the definitely evil Edouard de Gex who eventually disguises himself as a Jansenist (a sect which were enemies with Jesuits) and calls himself de Ath.
• Cunegonde's brother would count in Candide (which was a definite influence on Henry Esmond above)- while a lot of the characters change identities in the book, he becomes a Jesuit but is also at some points a military leader (not surprisingly, as he was written as a Take That against Frederick the Great)
• Ian Pears' novel An Instance of the Fingerpost has one of the unreliable narrators as something like this, although by my reading he's more like an Anti-Villain.
• In the sequels to The Three Musketeers, Aramis becomes a Jesuit priest (and later vicar-general of the order) and turns into a Manipulative Bastard, often working against his former comrades-in-arms.
• Stendhal's novel The Red and The Black has the main character (a Byronic Hero) joining unsympathetically-presented Jesuits in his quest for self-advancement and the novel discusses the Jesuit-Jansenist rivalry (which apparently persisted at least into the mid 1800s, when the novel was written/set). The Jesuits aren't presented as that smart though, as the author's Take That is to present them as close minded ultra-reactionaries. However, the main character fits the trope, as he is able to fit in just as well among a military-minded aristocratic culture (the red) as among the Jesuits (the black).
  • Jesuits being depicted as "closed-minded ultra-reactionaries" when there are Jansenists on the scene? It sounds like a probable case of Did Not Do the Research.
• Averted in the 1632 series. While one book had a bigoted Jesuit character, he was no more bigoted than many others of the 17th Century. In fact, a number of the allies of the protagonist uptimers—Americans sent back in time by Alien Space Bats, (long story) -- are even more bigoted. Also, the historical domain characters of Father Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld and Father-General Mutio Vitelleschi (both Jesuits, the latter the order's Superior General) are allies of the uptimers and are described as being good but flawed people (as are many characters, protagonist or antagonist) in the novels.
  • After the Spanish Cardinal Borga usurps Pope Urban VIII, tries to murder him, and murders several of his allies, the Jesuits begin to suffer a schism. One faction remains loyal to to Pope Urban VIII and are thus friendly to the uptimers; the other—mostly composed of Spanish Inquisitors and witch-hunters—become outright hostile.
• Averted in Robert Anton Wilson's Historical Illuminatus Chronicles, which feature Father Ratti, a good Jesuit priest whose open-mindedness contrasts the fundamentalistic Dominicans. On the other hand the books also mention, though never show (due to Author Existence Failure) Adam Weishaup, the former Jesuit who went on to find the Bavarian Illuminati.

Oral Tradition, Myths and Legends

• The Wandering Jew has evil Jesuits trying to gain control of the wealth of the title character's last descendants. In a particularly nasty Take That, a Thugee assassin decides that his Kali-worship is completely compatible with their brand of Catholicism.

Video Games

• Averted in Sid Meier's Pirates! where the Jesuit priests are actually pretty friendly and helpful.