Clement XIV

Clement XIV (1705-1774), pope (1769-1774), who suppressed the Jesuit order in 1773. Born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli in Sant' Arcangelo, Italy, he was educated by the Jesuits and the Piarists. He entered the Order of the Franciscans in 1723. Clement later taught philosophy and theology, and in 1743 he wrote a theological defense of the Jesuits. In 1759 he was made a cardinal. When he was elected pope in 1769, he was pressed by many European leaders to disband the Jesuits because of their influence. The order remained suppressed until 1814.