At the start of a three-month Jesuit conference, Pope John Paul II has called for obedience from the religious order with a long tradition of independence and social activism.
The work of Roman Catholic religious orders must be "totally and without reserve from the church, in the church and for the church," the pope told 233 representatives from Jesuit communities throughout the world.The Jesuits' position on the front lines of Catholicism - in pastoral work, in teaching, in scientific research, in helping the poor - makes their position in the church particularly sensitive.
The pope urged the Jesuits to carry out theological research "in obedient agreement" with church authorities and "obediently" share the orientation of the bishops in their dioceses.
The pope praised the Jesuits for their work, especially their emphasis on education.
The Jesuit order's leader, Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, involved the Vatican in planning the conference in an attempt to reaffirm the Jesuits' loyalty.
Kolvenbach was picked by the pope in 1981 to replace Jesuit leader, Rev. Pedro Arrupe, after he suffered a debilitating stroke. Arrupe and other leading Jesuits had irritated the pope by pushing for a greater church role in fighting poverty and human rights abuses.
The conference - the 34th since the order was founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540 - was called to set the agenda for coming years.