Clement XIII
Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico · 1758 – 1769
Defended the Jesuits against the Bourbon monarchies that were systematically suppressing the order across Europe.
Carlo Rezzonico was a Venetian who became pope in 1758. His pontificate was dominated by the campaign of the Bourbon monarchies — France, Spain, Portugal, and Naples — to suppress the Jesuits. Clement steadfastly defended the order, issuing the bull 'Apostolicum pascendi' in 1765 praising the Jesuits. He died suddenly in February 1769, the night before a consistory at which he was expected to address the crisis. His successor Clement XIV would eventually suppress the order.
Why He Matters
Clement XIII stood by the Jesuits when every major Catholic government wanted them gone. He lost that fight — but the Jesuits were eventually restored, and his defense of them looks better with the benefit of hindsight.