Page - 79 - in Maximilian Hell (1720–92) - And the Ends of Jesuit Science in Enlightenment Europe

79The Making of a Jesuit Astronomer in the Habsburg Provinces under the auspices of local parishes.122 Nevertheless, a full-scale reinstatement did not occur until 1693, when—thanks to funds from Emperor Leopold I, soon followed by many local Catholic dignitaries123—the Society was able to em- bark on a systematic program of proselytization via schooling, charitable ac- tivities, aesthetic and spiritual appeal, and the redefinition of the urban land- scape. Cluj—a town of a mere eight-thousand inhabitants, but still the most important urban and administrative center in the region—was to play a cen- tral part in the program’s execution. As far as the strictly religious goals are concerned, the Jesuit record in eighteenth-century Cluj was mixed. Conversion rates remained modest, and even the Uniate (or Greek Catholic) Church—which was established in 1692 and existed “in union” with the pope but retained an eastern liturgy—attract- ed far fewer Orthodox Romanians than originally hoped.124 Besides inter- denominational tensions, the Jesuits evoked the resentment of the secular wing of the local Catholic clergy, too. A stormy controversy occurred in 1754 (i.e., exactly during the time Hell spent in Cluj), when complaints were raised about the “arrogance” and “insolence” of the Jesuits, and about various kinds of “usurpations” by them, whether of jurisdictional rights over monasteries around the town, or of the administering of parish duties, specifically to mili- tary personnel. In his defense, Rector András Gál (dates unknown) expressed his respect for Transylvanian bishop Zsigmond Antal Sztojka (dates unknown), but referred to privileges granted by Pope Gregory xiii (1502–85, r.1572–85) to the rector of the Jesuit college in its ancient founding document. He also al- leged that the monasteries in question had never been subject to the diocese, but only directly to the archbishop of Esztergom, and stated that the adminis- tration of religious services in the army had been bestowed on the Society of Jesus by the capellanus major castrensis (chief military chaplain of the imperial troops, effectively with episcopal powers). In fact, the holder of that office, the influential Viennese Jesuit Ignaz Kampmiller (1693–1777)—also Maria There- sa’s confessor—had already written to Sztojka in consternation. Kampmiller, allegedly with support from her majesty, which he had sought in an audience, urged the bishop to retreat on his moves against the rector, referring to the ut- most importance of restoring peace and harmony, “especially in those territo- ries, where the number of heretics is so substantial.” Nevertheless, Sztojka persevered, rejecting the rector’s arguments and even issuing threats of 122 Júlia Varga, “Katolikus közép- és felsőoktatás Erdélyben a 17. századtól a 19. század köze- péig” (PhD diss., Budapest, Eötvös Loránd University, 2007), 62–92. 123 Varga, “Katolikus közép- és felsőoktatás Erdélyben,” 112–15. 124 Shore, Jesuits and the Politics of Religious Pluralism, 27–88.