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Leader 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 Pope, because of his responsibility for the largest male religious order, in contrast with the white garb of the pope. The thirty first and current superior general is Fr Arturo Sosa, elected by the 36th General Congregation on 14 October 2016.

The formal title in Latin is Praepositus Generalis, which may fairly be rendered as "superior general" or even, "president general". The term is like that of military usage (and Ignatius of Loyola had a military background) which is derived from "general", as opposed to "particular". This usage is consistent with other Catholic religious orders, like the Dominicans' "master general", Franciscans' "minister general", Carthusians' "prior general", and with civil posts such as Postmaster General and Attorney General. The Jesuits are organized into provinces, each with a provincial superior, (usually referred to as the "Father Provincial" or just "Provincial"), with the head of the order being the "general superior", for the whole organization. As a major superior, the Superior General is styled "Very Reverend".

"Black Pope" is an unofficial designation given to the position of Superior General of the Order of the Jesuits. The name follows from his leadership of the largest Catholic, male religious order and from the colour of the plain black cassock worn by members of the Society, including the Superior General. This may have originated from a past concern (most prominent around the 16th and 17th centuries) among Protestant European countries concerning the relative power of the Jesuits within the Roman Catholic Church, and partly because the Superior General, like the Pope, is elected for life.

The Superior General is invested with governing power over all the members of the Society, but customarily leads through Provincial superiors under him. Such power follows from the religious vows that bind members to community life, as in other religious orders.

Superiors General are elected by the General Congregation of the Society, summoned upon the resignation or death of an incumbent. Superiors General are elected for life and up to recently, as with the Popes, have served life terms. The exceptions being Father Pedro Arrupe (resigned for reasons of failing health) and both his successors, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach and Father Adolfo Nicolás. On 2 October 2016, General Congregation 36 convened in Rome, convoked by Superior General Nicolás, and it elected Father Arturo Sosa as the thirty first Superior General.

Until the 21st century, it was customary for Superiors General to rule for life. Where they left office before death, the date of death is listed below the date they left office. (Pedro Arrupe resigned in 1983 after a paralyzing stroke.) No. (Number) Superior GeneralPortrait Took office Left officeDeceased Birthplace Duration (in days) 1 Ignatius of Loyola 1541 1556 Azpeitia, Spain 5582 2 1558 1565 Almazán, Spain 2393 3 1565 1572 Gandia, Spain 2648 4 1573 1580 La Roche en Ardenne, Belgium 2657 5 1581 1615 Atri, Italy 12399 6 1615 1645 Rome, Italy 10679 7 1646 1649 Naples, Italy 1248 8 1649 1651 Siena, Italy 543 9 1652 1652 Rome, Italy 51 10 1652 1664 Jülich, Germany 4519 11 1664 1681 Genoa, Italy 6327 12 1682 1686 Brussels, Belgium 1621 13 1687 1705 Arganza, Spain 6688 14 1706 1730 Modena, Italy 8521 15 1730 1750 Prague, Bohemia 7562 16 1751 1755 Milan, Italy 1389 17 1755 1757 Genoa, Italy 672 18 1758 177324 November 177521 July 1773 Florence, Italy 5566 — 1782 1785 Kaunas, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1100 — 1785 1798 Polotsk, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 4761 — 1799 1802 Orsha, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1275 — 1802 1805 Vienna, Austria 897 19 1814 1820 Königsberg, Prussia 2008 20 1820 1829 Verona, Italy 3023 21 1829 1853 Amsterdam, Netherlands 8704 22 1853 1887 Scherpenheuvel Zichem, Belgium 12267 23 1887 1892 Berisal, Switzerland 1781 24 1892 1906 Melgar de Fernamental, Spain 4945 25 1906 1914 Rottweil, Germany 2903 26 1915 1942 Loosdorf, Austria 10167 27 1946 1964 Mechelen, Belgium 6595 28 1965 19835 February 1991 Bilbao, Spain 6678 29 1983 200826 November 2016 Druten, Netherlands 8889 30 2008 201620 May 2020 Villamuriel de Cerrato, Spain 3169 31 2016 Incumbent Caracas, Venezuela