Charles de Noyelle (28 July 1615 – 12 December 1686) was a Belgian Jesuit priest, elected the twelfth

Superior General of the Society of Jesus The superior general of the Society of Jesus is the leader of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position sometimes carries the nickname of the Black Po ...

Early formation

After secondary studies at

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

and

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

, Charles de Noyelle joined the

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s at the early age of fifteen (in 1630). After following the usual spiritual training given to those newly entered into the Society, he did his

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, where he was ordained priest in 1644. He was destined to be professor of Theology, which he taught for some time in Antwerp. He had been Rector of the School of

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

for three years when he was called to Rome as sub-secretary of the Society (1653)

In Rome

As soon as he was elected Superior General (in 1661) Giovanni Paolo Oliva appointed de Noyelle as his Assistant for the German provinces' affairs. He remained in that post for 20 years, being made Vicar General of the Society on several occasions too. At the

General Congregation The General Congregation is an assembly of the Jesuit representatives from all parts of the world, and serves as the highest authority in the Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption ...

that followed the death of Father Oliva Charles de Noyelle was elected unanimously, at the first ballot, Superior General. This remains the only case (leaving aside

St. Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

) of a Superior General being elected unanimously.

Problems and controversies

Just about the time of his election, the dispute between

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

and

Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI ( la, Innocentius XI; it, Innocenzo XI; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 to his death on August 12, 1689. Poli ...

(over the

Gallican Liberties Gallicanism is the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarch's or the state's authority—over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope. Gallicanism is a rejection of ultramontanism; it has som ...

, among other subjects) had culminated in the publication of the '' Déclaration du clergé de France''. This placed the Society in a difficult position in France, as its attachment to the Universal Church and the Pope prevented the Jesuits to teach the

Gallicanism Gallicanism is the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarch's or the state's authority—over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope. Gallicanism is a rejection of ultramontanism; it has som ...

of the ''Declaration''. It required all the ingenuity and ability of the influential Father

François de la Chaise François de la Chaise (August 25, 1624 – January 20, 1709) was a French Jesuit priest, the father confessor of King Louis XIV of France. Biography François de la Chaise was born at the Château of Aix in Aix-la-Fayette, Puy-de-Dôme, Auver ...

and Father de Noyelle to prevent a break. The middle of the road position adopted by the Society dissatisfied Innocent XI with whom the Jesuits had otherwise good relations. Even more delicate was the question of the Chinese Rites. Reports of Jesuits (in China) ignoring or rejecting openly the papal decree forbidding the so-called Chinese rites reached the Congregation of the

Propaganda Fide Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

, resulted in ill will towards the Society.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noyelle, Charles de 1615 births 1686 deaths Jesuits of the Spanish Netherlands Superiors General of the Society of Jesus