Inside the Jesuit headquarters in Rome a block from the Vatican in Rome, Vatican City on March 2, 2008.

ITALY - MARCH 02: Seal of the Society of Jesus. The 'IHS' trigram comprises the first three Greek letters of JESUS . Inside the 'Curia Generalizia',the Jesuits' vast, marble-lined headquarters on Borgo Santo Spirito in Rome,a block from the Vatican. Last January 225 delegates from around the world have elected a new superior general to run the largest and perhaps most influential, controversial and prestigious Catholic clerical order founded by St Ignatius Loyola in 1540. Their leader is traditionally known as "the black pope" because of the color of the simple cassock he wears and because like the pope who dresses in white. He has worldwide influence and usually keeps the position for life. Today, the all-male order officially known as the Society of Jesus has about 20 000 members worldwide involved in education, refugee help and other social services. Noted in particular for their vast network of schools and universities, the Jesuits are widely considered the day-to-day educational and intellectual motor for Roman Catholicism. Since the Second Vatican Council, many Jesuits have favored progressive reform in the Church, seeking to adapt Catholic traditions to modern life. (Photo by Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)