Pope Francis was the first Jesuit pope of the Catholic Church. What is a Jesuit?

Pope Francis, the Catholic Church's 266th pontiff, was the first Jesuit to lead the church in its nearly 2,000-year history.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, died April 21 at age 88. He was the first pope to come from the Americas, a distinction he touted during his opening address upon becoming the leader of the church and its billion-plus followers.

More than 200,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 26 to honor the late pope at a funeral service and procession, according to Vatican News.

Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Jesuit Superior General, said Francis consistently aimed to turn God's will into action in order to promote "the transformation of humanity to make this world a worthy home for all human beings,” Vatican News reported.

Are Jesuits Catholic?

The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic order founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

According to the Jesuits' website, the Jesuits consist of 14,000-plus priests, brothers, scholastics and novices worldwide, making it one of the church's largest male religious orders, though the number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000.

Ignatius was a Spanish soldier whose leg was shattered by a cannonball as he fought to defend a castle in Pamplona against a French siege, as recounted by Jesuit-founded Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

During his recovery, Ignatius experienced a spiritual conversion after reading about the lives of Jesus Christ and the saints, the only books available in the castle library. Inspired to serve the poor, he began to compile his thoughts and methods in a document that would ultimately become the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. The handbook sets guidelines for meditation, self-awareness and prayer.

According to the university, Ignatius embraced education "as one of the most important ways of promoting 'the betterment of souls.'" Even before Georgetown's founding in 1789, the Jesuits ran more than 800 universities, seminaries and secondary schools worldwide, serving many students who otherwise lacked access to a formal education.

Get the Diddy on Trial newsletter in your inbox.

Inside the courtroom for the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs.

Delivery: Varies

Your Email

What does it mean to be Jesuit today?

That mission continues today. Men entering the Society of Jesus "pursue a decade-long course of studies and spiritual formation before being ordained to the priesthood."

The Jesuit Schools Network of North Americaworks with 91 secondary and pre-secondary schools throughout the U.S., Canada, Belize and Micronesia. While the schools are principally Catholic institutions, they aren't meant to ready young people for the clergy as much as they are for lives of service beyond the church.

Jesuits strive to be “contemplatives in action,” turning their spirituality into action, and are known for their efforts to promote global justice, peace and dialogue.

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities lists 27 member schools in the U.S., including Georgetown, Gonzaga University, Boston College, Saint Louis University, Fordham University and the College of the Holy Cross.