Jesuits Officially Approved

September 27, 1540

Pope Paul III issued the bull Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae, formally recognizing the Society of Jesus. Ignatius of Loyola became the first Superior General. Within a decade, Jesuit schools would stretch from Coimbra to Goa, and missionaries would be preaching in kimono and Mandarin. The initial limit of sixty members was lifted within a decade as the order's rapid growth and effectiveness made restriction impractical.