Jesuit Estates controversy

Jesuit Estates controversy, in Canadian history, dispute that arose between Protestants and Roman Catholics after the re-establishment of the Jesuit order. When the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit order) was suppressed by the papacy in 1773, its extensive landholdings in Canada were transferred to the British government, with any revenues derived from them to be applied to educational programs. Popular demand for the educational and missionary services of the Jesuits forced Pope Pius VII to...