CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Society of Jesus, or Societas Iesu, is an order of the Catholic Church that directly serves the Pope. Its members are known as Jesuits, although are often called Soldiers of Christ or foot soldiers of the Pope. It is the largest religious order of men in the Catholic Church and over two-thirds of them are priests. They mainly work overseas on education as well as missionary work, involved in human rights and social justice.
Carter had done a Google search. Catholic had naturally thrown up thousands of results but refining the terms of inquiry narrowed the number of references. Surfing through the initial pages he found plenty of relevant mention of the work of the Jesuits. None of it displayed any clue of anything remotely sinister about a seemingly benign group of God-fearing men.
He watched as a heron flew gracefully over the lake, soaring and swooping as the wind currents pursued. A fresh packet of cigarettes lay on the table but he resisted. He closed his eyes and tried to formulate his thoughts into some coherent order. The sites, the possible supernatural occurrences, the people involved.
The files revisited yielded what he suspected. The first house was near a church, a Catholic church; the Flemings were practicing Catholics; Sian was Catholic, and the Jesuits were as close to the Pope as anyone could be.
The Roman Catholic Church seemed to be the link. Why?
In 1534 Ignatius, later Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and other students at the University of Paris formed a group they called the Company of Jesus. They swore to perform religious duties wherever they could and in 1537 traveled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Paul III. They were accepted and ordained as priests and set about working for the Pope in Europe, founding schools, converting people to Catholicism and helping stem the tide of the Protestant faith. In 1540 the name changed to the Society of Jesus.
Later Jesuits traveled more widely, settling in Japan, Tibet, South America, India and Russia. They became very powerful and this led to suppression by the ruling governments. Gradually though the order grew, as did the Church itself, and their influence was felt worldwide.
Carter opened the packet of cigarettes, lit one and drew down the smoke in anger. He was no nearer a solution that might find Sian. He remained convinced she was alive somewhere, being held against her will. She had to be alive, she just had to be.
The water on the lake, even at this distance, was obviously rippling. He watched the trees; swaying in an encroaching breeze. The weather was changing. He guessed he had about another hour before it would rain. He set himself that hour to complete his research, and then a late lunch.
He scrolled down a few pages, looking for something that might give a less flattering view of the Jesuits. Controversies— what was this?
Being an influential body, the Jesuits attracted enemies. Catholic and Protestant critics accused them of being involved in secret missions for the Pope. Conspiracy theories grew about their participation in an oath taken by senior members to allow and justify any action taken to safeguard the papal leader and the faith. This included infiltration of other religions. In many languages the word Jesuit acquired the meaning of devious. Recent popes have spoken against the order and, incorrectly, rumors have spread that the Jesuits are against much of the Catholic direction including abortion, priestly celibacy and homosexuality.
A Superior General leads the Society of Jesus, with General Curia headquarters in Rome in a historic complex of buildings including the Church of the Gesu, the Jesuit Mother Church.
Carter closed the laptop and lit another cigarette. The bushes at the end of his garden were gently breathing in the enveloping wind, giving the impression of living, moving creatures.
He knew full well that his house was built on a ley line; it was one of the reasons for buying it. He enjoyed the forces, real or imagined, that pulsed beneath his feet. Now he had a connection of Leys, and Jesuits. But what did either of them mean to each other? And what help were they to Sian?
There had to be more but it was eluding him. Usually his investigations found a link between the event and the history of the site. Either that or the participant had a secret that had somehow caused the manifestation in whatever form it took. This time, and he realized in the most recent preceding cases, the link they had assumed to be the solution was something else.
He needed to dig deeper, and if that meant using the power of his mind then he would have to risk it.