[Assam] Charity versus Social Justice

[umesh sharma]

Atlast someone put up some info on the net about it: The truth seems slightly different.


http://www.johntoddjr.com/84%20Jesuits/jesuits.htm

The Banishment of the Jesuits from Mexico (1767) and How It Happened





The Jesuits in 18th Century Europe


At first glance, the Jesuits looked like pretty good people. A history book
written in 1880 says
 they were the most intelligent and studious people of their time. 
They were the experts in subjects like mathematics, astronomy, botany, and physics.
They were also experts in languages and literature.





In Europe, they were also the wealthiest and most powerful people of their times and they used 
their wealth  to build, operate and maintain the  schools and universities 
they founded. In spite of their wealth, they were still a rather austere group. 
 They seemed like a group of hard working
teachers working with high school and college students.  



Wealth Brings Power and Problems


By the mid 18th century they were also the most feared institution
on  earth, especially by the kings of France and Spain.
The history book I was reading said, 

"Everyone knew where the Jesuits had come from, but no one knew
where they were going.  It was a solid organization of people dedicated
to human freedom, but it was an organization of groups without a central direction."

My source went on to say,

 Dedication


 "It was an association of minds, hearts, 
and lives that believed in reaching for the glory of God, and that anything
 in their own personal benefit was redundant.
Groups of theologians supported the matter dogmatically,
as if one of the missionaries would throw themselves in the middle of
fierce Indian tribes to preach the Gospel to seal with their blood
the martyrdom of their own obedience."

The problem was stated,


 By many in authority in those days, "The Jesuit order was viewed like a snake without 
a head." It just grew on itself. 

The problems began in France
 when they concluded the King was like any ordinary man and 
began spreading "libellous" ideas of independence from the crown, especially
when the king was wrong, or committed unjust acts against the people. 

New Ideas Not Well Received in Spain

 
When these ideas got to Spain, there were riots, and the king
burned a couple of the leaders at the stake. But it wasn´t enough to quell the rebellious ideas.
 Pamphlets continued to appear against the king.  Later more riots
 erupted against the king, and Jesuits were suspected to be
 the instigators.
 
 

The Jesuits in New Spain
 

 New Spain lived several centuries of relative peace in comparison to the wars and conflicts 
 in Europe among the Germans, Austrians, French, English, and Spanish.
 
 However, the Jesuits in Mexico didn´t cause as many problems as they did in Europe,
  and dedicated
 their efforts to their schools, the evangelizing the Indians in the North,
 and to their businesses.  

 Their students, in many cases, were the
 sons of the criollo elite.  At the same time, the concepts they learned in the
 Jesuits schools later formed the ideas that launched the Independence
 Movement in Mexico during the later years after the Jesuits had left.
 

According to Lopetegui-Zubillaga, by 1645, the Company 
of Jesus had 401 jesuits who took
care of 18 high schools.  Each one of them had more than 6 subjects,
and others attended parishes and missions.
 
The Jesuits formed the vanguard of the missionaries amongst the savage Indians
of the North, and set up the first missions in the desolate areas
of Baja California and Upper California as far north as San Francisco.
Some of the Jesuit missionaries became martyrs to Indian attacks and hostile desert conditions
while preaching the Word of the Lord.

 The Overnight Banishment Order
 

 So, one day, the king of Spain in order to control the threats
 to his throne, decided he would have 
 to expel them not only from Spain, but from all the Spanish
 colonies, en masse to Rome. The pope 
 really didn´t like them either and was somewhat 
 afraid of them himself. 
 
 But, in a highly secret move, 
 the king of Spain sent orders to all the viceroys in the 
 colonies in Mexico, Central and South, America and the 
 Philippines that within 30 days receipt of the 
 orders( which were in two envelopes) they were to cordon 
 off all the properties and isolate the priests. 
 They were given 24 hours to pack up and were escorted to ships in Veracruz.


When Charles III of Spain gave the almost lightning order, over night
everyone in the order was rounded up by royal soldiers and deputized 
citizens, and transferred to Veracruz for deportation to Rome.  There was only
 time enough to pack up in one day and move out the next.

They had lived and worked in Mexico for 200 years and had some strong
financial patrons.   


On June 24, 1767 the Viceroy of  New Spain
 opened a sealed envelope before high civilian and church officials.
 
   The instructions were direct and final:
	


Umesh Sharma



Washington D.C. 



1-202-215-4328 [Cell]



Ed.M. - International Education Policy

Harvard Graduate School of Education,

Harvard University,

Class of 2005



http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)



http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)









www.gse.harvard.edu/iep  (where the above 2 are used )

http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/







http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/

--- On Wed, 3/9/08, umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:
From: umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com>
Subject: Charity versus Social Justice
To: assam at assamnet.org
Date: Wednesday, 3 September, 2008, 1:16 AM

http://www.saintmarys.edu/~incandel/charjust.html

I heard the term and participated in a discussion at Teacher's College Columbia Univ, New York City while attending the East Coast Conference of Asha for Education www.ashanet.org/dc  .

 It was raised by the Chapter coordinator of the Princeton Univ chapter of Asha For Education at New Jersey.

Wonderful idea but if performed wrongly can lead to strife - as my Harvard Professor told us of Mexico's expulsion of Jesuits after they were accused of arousing the Native American Zapatas, Chiapas etc against the mainstream folks. They had to hand over their high schools too - including the excellent , glorius campus ones - as the professor then had noted.

But if not taken to extreme (some might get the drift of my comments) it is a wonderful idea -  do not indulge in charity
 only to maintain the status quo - but produce meaningful change.

Any comments?

Umesh Sharma



Washington D.C. 



1-202-215-4328 [Cell]



Ed.M. - International Education Policy

Harvard Graduate School of Education,

Harvard University,

Class of 2005



http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)



http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)









www.gse.harvard.edu/iep  (where the above 2 are used )

http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/







http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/