Everard Mercurian

Very Rev. Everard Mercurian, S.J. (1514 – 1 August 1580) was the fourth Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Born 'Lardinois' into a humble family in Marcourt, near La Roche-en-Ardenne in what is now the province of Luxembourg in 1514, in the south-east corner of what is now Belgium. This is the origin of his name, which he signed Everard de Marcour. After study in the University of Paris, he was ordained and became a parish priest. He became acquainted with Jesuits at the University and on 8 September 1548 entered the Jesuits in the Low Countries. The Society was expanding rapidly and he became Visitor of the German Province and later Provincial of the Lower German Province and lastly the German Assistant in 1565.

Francis Borgia, then Superior General of the Society, died just before the Third General Congregation was about to convene. Pope Gregory XIII, who was a good friend of the Society, expressed his desire that the delegates elect a General who was not a Spaniard. Thus Mercurian became the first non-Spanish general of the Society, even though Polanco, a Spaniard, seemed to be the natural choice. This, however, caused dissatisfaction and opposition among a number of the Spanish and Portuguese members, which came to a crisis during the generalate of Father Mercurian's successor, Father Claudius Acquaviva.

National sensitivities of the time are thought to have motivated the Pope. The first three Generals, Ignatius, Lainez and Borgia had been Spaniards and there was some concern that "New Christians" — converted Jews or Muslims, — might enter into the mainstream of the Society and Spanish Christians were more likely to have such backgrounds. Polanco, a close associate of St. Ignatius, was a Spaniard and was suspected of having a racial background that would not be acceptable. The Fathers of the Congregation voted 27 out of 47 on April 23, 1573 for the election of Everard Mercurian, a Belgian. It was a choice which pleased the Pope because Mercurian was a good friend, a non-Spaniard, and besides, there was no chance of his having tainted blood.

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