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When was the Society of Jesus founded and officially approved by the pope?

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Title page of a 1568 Welsh Christian doctrine book by Morys Clynnog, featuring Welsh text and a woodcut illustration of the crucifixion of Jesus at the center. — Counter-Reformation Title page of *Athravaeth Gristnogavl* (1568; “Christian Doctrine”), a Roman Catholic catechism translated into Welsh by Morys Clynnog as part of the church's Counter-Reformation efforts.

The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1534. The order received official approval from the pope in 1540.12

As a key religious order within the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits became instrumental in the Roman Catholic Church's efforts to revitalize its mission and influence during the 16th and 17th centuries.2