'Tanto di Capuccini come di Giesuiti': Religious Orders, Exceptionalism and the Absolution of Heretics in Early Modern Italy.

This article examines the papal privileges granted to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) concerning the power to absolve heretics in confession, challenging the traditional view that these privileges were awarded due to the Jesuits' unique spirituality or pastoral approach. Instead, it argues that popes empowered religious orders—including the Jesuits and later the Capuchins—for pragmatic reasons such as availability, orthodoxy, and geographic presence, especially in regions where the Roman Inquisition faced resistance, like Savoy–Piedmont. Through archival research and comparative analysis of Jesuit and Capuchin privileges in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the article demonstrates that papal decisions were driven by practical needs rather than exceptional charisms, highlighting a flexible and reactive papal strategy rather than a rigid hierarchy. This perspective nuances the understanding of the Jesuits’ role in the Counter-Reformation and the broader dynamics of early modern Catholic Church governance.