Rodrigues, Siman

Siman Rodrigues di Azevedo ( port of Simão Rodrigues de Azevedo , 1510 , Vouzela - June 15, 1579 , Lisbon ) - Portuguese Jesuit, one of the founders of the Order , together with Ignatius Loyola , and the first provincial prior (provincial) of Portugal .

Rodrigues was one of the first six companions of Ignatius Loyola at the University of Paris, who took vows of poverty and chastity in the chapel of Montmartre on August 15, 1534. The Friends of the Lord group ultimately formed the core of the Society of Jesus, approved in 1540 (in Regimini militantis Ecclesiae).

After working in Italy for several years under the leadership of Ignatius, he was sent to Portugal, where his strong personality immediately attracted the attention of many young people, while he gained influence at the royal court. As a provincial of the Portuguese Jesuits, he brought himself to a certain degeneration of spiritual prayer, which caused scandals due to public calls for repentance at night, self-flagellation in the streets of Coimbra. A few letters from Ignatius calling for obedience were not heard. Due to complaints, Rodriguez was recalled. Dragging his feet, he finally reached Rome, where, of his own free will, he was convicted (1544). His three Jesuit judges convicted him of "excesses and lack of obedience." All charges were dropped by Ignatius, but nonetheless Rodriguez was not allowed to return to Portugal. He was assigned to another job in Italy, and then Spain. Rodriguez was rebellious and for several years tried to overthrow the decision against him, but his calls to friends at the highest echelons of power were unsuccessful. In the end, he abandoned these attempts and returned to obedience. As an old man, he was allowed to return to his homeland, where before his death, he wrote the story of the first years of society.