Charles de Noyelle
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Charles de Noyelle, S.J. (28 July 1615 - 12 December 1686) was the twelfth Superior General of the Society of Jesus.
Father de Noyelle was born at Brussels and joined the Jesuits at the age of fifteen. He served as assistant for the Germanic provinces for more than 20 years before being elected Superior General by a unanimous vote.
Just about the time of his election, the dispute between Louis XIV of France and Pope Innocent XI (over the Gallican Liberties, among other subjects) had culminated in the publication of the Déclaration du clergé de France. This placed the Society in a difficult position in France, as its spirit of devotion to the papacy was not in harmony with the spirit of the Déclaration. It required all the ingenuity and ability of Pere La Chaise and Father de Noyelle to avert a disaster. Innocent XI was dissatisfied with the position the Society adopted, and threatened to suppress the order, proceeding even so far as to forbid the reception of novices.
| Preceded by Giovanni Paolo Oliva |
Superior General of the Society of Jesus 1682 – 1686 |
Succeeded by Thyrsus González de Santalla |
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
