When Jesuits from across the globe meet to pray close to the tomb of the order’s founder, St Ignatius Loyola, in Rome this week, their primary focus will be the election of a new Superior General. Fr Adolfo Nicolás is standing down after eight years, due to his age, and there will be intense deliberations to find his successor, who will largely determine the shape that the Society of Jesus takes in the coming years. But six weeks of talks after the vote will also be crucial in considering the future direction of the order.

Last time round, at the General Congregation held in 2008, Cardinal Franc Rodé, then the head of the Vatican department that deals with religious orders, admonished the Jesuits for failing to think “with the Church”, and urged greater fidelity to the hierarchy.