Editing Ignatius of Loyola (section)

===Later Life and Death===

Ignatius spent his final fifteen years (1541–1556) in Rome, directing the Society of Jesus and overseeing its worldwide expansion. Despite persistent health problems stemming from his earlier austerities and his war wound (which left him with a permanent limp), he maintained an extraordinarily active administrative role. He supervised Jesuit missions to India, Japan, Brazil, Ethiopia, and the Congo; oversaw the establishment of schools (the Jesuits would become renowned educators); founded the [[Roman College]] (later the [[Gregorian University]]); and established houses for reformed prostitutes and catechumens.

Ignatius died in Rome on 31 July 1556. He was beatified by [[Pope Paul V]] in 1609 and canonized by [[Pope Gregory XV]] on 12 March 1622, alongside [[Francis Xavier]], [[Teresa of Ávila]], [[Philip Neri]], and [[Isidore the Farmer]]. The 1622 canonization represented a significant moment in Counter-Reformation history, occurring during the [[Thirty Years' War]] and reflecting the political and religious tensions of the era. Modern scholarship, particularly work by historians such as [[Ronnie Po-chia Hsia]], has examined the canonization of 1622 in its geopolitical context, demonstrating how Ignatius and Xavier were presented as models of Spanish military valor and agents of global Catholic empire.

His feast day is celebrated on 31 July. He is the patron saint of the Society of Jesus, soldiers, educators, and the [[Basque Country]], among other causes.