Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priests at the time of their solemn and final profession in the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

promise to "never strive or ambition, not even indirectly, to be chosen or promoted to any prelacy or dignity in or outside the Society; and I will do my best never to consent to my election unless I am forced to do so by obedience to him who can order me under penalty of sin." (Constitutions S.J., Part X, N°6 17 Yet because of various reasons and in different circumstances—for example, need of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in an area where the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

has still to be developed, recognition of a theologian's outstanding contribution to

theological 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 ...

reflection, etc.—several Jesuits have been made bishops or even

cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

. In such cases they remain only nominally Jesuit, as they lose active and passive voice within the Order and are no longer under the obedience of the

Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...

. In 2013 the first Jesuit pope was elected,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. The following is a complete list of contemporary living Jesuit cardinals. Three of them are above 80 years of age and thus are ineligible as a papal elector. Another four are not yet above the age of 80 and thus are currently eligible to serve as papal electors. + The last Jesuit Cardinals to die were

Ján Chryzostom Korec Ján Chryzostom Korec, Society of Jesus, SJ (22 January 1924 – 24 October 2015) was a Slovakia, Slovak Jesuit priest and a cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was ordained as a priest in 1950 and consecrated as a bisho ...

, who died on October 24, 2015, and

Albert Vanhoye Albert Vanhoye (; 24 July 1923 – 29 July 2021) was a French priest, a member of the Society of Jesus, and a biblical scholar. He taught at the Pontifical Biblical Institute from 1963 to 1998 and served as its rector from 1984 to 1990. He was ...

, who died on July 29, 2021.

References

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