The Mission
“The Mission” (1986, Roland Joffe) tells the story of the Jesuit
missions in South America in the late 1700's. A Jesuit priest
(“Father Gabriel” = Jeremy Irons) and a reformed slave trader
(“Rodrigo Mendoza” = Robert De Niro) join forces to minister to
the Guarani natives of Paraguay. The two men are thrust into
conflict when corruption within Church and state combine
violently to destroy all that they have built.
Background to the Movie:
South American natives were for the most part treated
brutally by Europeans after first contact. The “Reductions”
were mission colonies established by “the Jesuits” under the
authority of the Spanish king to protect the natives from the
slave trade and enable them to live freely and with dignity.
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History records that these colonies were models of community living, and that the Jesuits worked hard
to defend the Guarani against the worst influences of European society. For example, traders who came to
the missions were kept apart from the natives, under armed guard, and could not stay more than three
days.
Unfortunately, Spain and Portugal were locked in a dispute at the time over the boundaries between
their colonies in the New World. By a secret treaty in 1750, Spain agreed to hand over to Portugal, among
other territories, the land of the Guarani natives in the Jesuit Reductions, requiring both missionaries and
natives to relocate.
The movie dramatizes the reaction of the missionaries, forced to abandon the natives because of
threats to suppress their order in Europe, and the beginning of the lopsided war with the natives that
resulted – from which the natives never recovered.
The Jesuits:
After its founding in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) grew rapidly and
assumed an important role in the renewal of the Catholic Church. Jesuits were educators, scholars, and
missionaries throughout the world. They were also preachers and catechists who devoted themselves to the
young, the sick, prisoners, prostitutes, and soldiers. They were often called upon to be confessors to the ruling
families of Europe. By the time of Ignatius's death in 1556, there were about a thousand Jesuits. One century
later, there were over fifteen thousand; near the end of the following century, almost twenty-three thousand.
As time passed, because of the high visibility of the Jesuits among religious orders, their strong defense of the
papacy, their work in the missions on behalf of the indigenous peoples, their apparent power at royal courts
and in the Church as well as because of their own pride and occasional failings in judgment, they aroused the
hostility of many lay and clerical adversaries.
In 1773, bowing to heavy pressure from the courts of France, Spain, Portugal, and Naples, Pope Clement XIV
issued a document suppressing the Society of Jesus. He noted that he did so to maintain peace and
tranquility within the Church. He listed the charges against the Society, but made no judgment about their
accuracy, and avoided making any condemnation of the Society itself. Jesuit houses and colleges everywhere
were seized by the local authorities. Some Jesuits were imprisoned; some were driven into exile. The superior
general of the Society, Lorenzo Ricci, was imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo where he died two years later.
On August 7, 1814, Pope Pius VII, responding to the desires of those who wished the Jesuits to resume work in
education and in the foreign missions, restored the Society throughout the world. By the end of the century
Jesuit schools and missions were as numerous as before 1773.
Today, the Society of Jesus has nearly twenty-five thousand members world-wide. Its members dedicate
themselves to the service of the Church. Through its missions, its parishes, and its educational institutions, it
lives out a world-affirming commitment to the service of faith and the promotion of justice.
Choose one of the following scenarios, and in 250 words, write your response. Use the file
“The Mission – background” in my handout folder to find more information.
1 You are the Papal emissary, Cardinal Altamirano. You have been
sent, as in the movie, to inspect the state of the Jesuit reducciones
and to make a recommendation to the Pope regarding what should
happen. Write a report to the Pope, summarizing what you have
found, and concluding with your recommendation.
2 You are a Spanish captain participating in the attacks against the
Jesuit missions. You are serious, ambitious, and tough - but you are
also a person of intelligence and conscience. Write a letter to your
family back in Spain explaining what you are doing and why.
3 You are Father Gabriel. The Spanish attackers are
closing in and soon your missions will be destroyed. One
of the young Guarani asks you why you will not fight.
What will you tell the Guarani boy?
4 You are a modernday Jesuit priest. You
meet a modern-day
descendant of the
Guarani. He tells you
that the Jesuits of the
17th and 18th Century
were no better than the
slave-traders or the
Conquistadors. Do you
agree with him?
Disagree? Write a letter to your Guarani friend which
summarizes how you feel, on the whole, about the
Jesuit missions.
Category
Understanding
Communication
Application
Level One
* limited identification of the
main religious questions in the
movie
* limited indication of how the
movie responds to these
questions
* limited clarity of ideas
expressed
* limited use of appropriate form
and conventions
* limited use of terms learned in
class
* limited defense of responses to
the religious questions raised in
the movie
* limited understanding,
evaluation, and analysis of these
questions
Level Two
* some identification of the main
religious questions in the movie
* some indication of how the
movie responds to these
questions
Level Three
* clear identification of the main
religious questions in the movie
* clear indication of how the
movie responds to these
questions
* some clarity of ideas expressed
* some use of appropriate form
and conventions
* some use of terms learned in
class
* clear ideas expressed
* use of appropriate form and
conventions
* accurate use of terms learned in
class
* some defense of responses to
the religious questions raised in
the movie
* some understanding,
evaluation, and analysis of these
questions
* clear defense of responses to
the religious questions raised in
the movie
* clear understanding, evaluation,
and analysis of these questions
Level Four
* ample identification of the
main religious questions in the
movie
* strong indication of how the
movie responds to these
questions
* clarity & insight in ideas
expressed
* excellent use of appropriate
form and conventions
* terms learned in class used with
accuracy & insight
* outstanding defense of
responses to the religious
questions raised in the movie
* strong understanding,
evaluation, and analysis of these
questions
If you get lost, you can find help in remembering the plot at http://kspark.kaist.ac.kr/Mission/The%20Mission%20-
%20Film%20Study.htm.