Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.
Showing posts with label Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament.. Show all posts

Monday 29 July 2013

Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament. (Part Six).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.





Deutsch: Papst Pius X. (eigentlich Giuseppe Sarto,
* 2. Juni 1835 in Riese (Provinz Treviso);
† 20. August 1914 in Rom) war als Nachfolger Leo XIII.
Papst von 1903 bis 1914.
English: Pope Saint Pius X, born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto,
(2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914)
was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII.
Français: Pape Pie X, né Giuseppe Sarto à Riese (Italie)
le 2 juin 1835 - mort à Rome, au Vatican le 20 août 1914),
succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.
Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto
(Riese, 2 giugno 1835 - Roma, Vaticano, 20 agosto 1914),
succedette il 4 agosto 1903 a Leone XIII.
Português do Brasil: Papa São Pio X.
Photo: 22 October 2011.
Source: Vaticano.
Author: Não sei.
This image (or other media file)
is in the public domain
because its Copyright has expired.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In addition to the political defense of the Church, Liturgical changes, anti-Modernism, and the beginning of the codification of Canon Law, the Papacy of Pope Pius X saw the reorganisation of the Roman Curia. He also sought to update the education of Priests, Seminaries and their curricula were reformed.

In 1904, Pope Pius X granted permission for Diocesan Seminarians to attend the College of Saint Thomas. He raised the College to the status of Pontificium on 2 May, 1906, thus making its Degrees equivalent to those of the world's other Pontifical Universities.

By Apostolic Letter of 8 November, 1908, signed by the Supreme Pontiff on 17 November, the College was transformed into the Collegium Pontificium Internationale Angelicum. It would become the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas,Angelicum in 1963.

Pope Pius X Beatified ten individuals and Canonised four. Those Beatified during his Pontificate were: Marie Genevieve Meunier (1906); Rose Chretien (1906); Valentin Faustino Berri Ochoa (1906); Saint Clarus (1907); Zdislava Berka (1907); John Bosco (1907); John of Ruysbroeck (1908); Andrew Nam Thung (1909); Agatha Lin (1909); Agnes De (1909); Joan of Arc (1909); and John Eudes (1909). Those Canonised by him were: Alexander Sauli (1904); Gerard Majella (1904); Clement Mary Hofbauer (1909); Joseph Oriol (1909).


File:Cathedral.architecture.bristol.arp.jpg


The Choir Stalls of Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England. 
Pope Pius X issued a Papal Directive, on 
23 November 1903, banning women from singing 
in Church Choirs (i.e., the architectural Church Choirs)
Photo: 2 April 2005.
Source: Taken by Adrian Pingstone, Arpingstone.
Author: Taken by Adrian Pingstone, Arpingstone..
(Wikimedia Commons)


Pope Pius X published sixteen Encyclicals; among them was Vehementer nos on 11 February 1906, which condemned the 1905 French law on the separation of the State and the Church. Pius X also confirmed, though not infallibly, the existence of Limbo, in Roman Catholic Theology, in his 1905 Catechism, saying that the unbaptised "do not have the joy of God, but neither do they suffer . . . they do not deserve Paradise, but neither do they deserve Hell or Purgatory." On 23 November 1903, Pius X issued a Papal Directive, a motu proprio, that banned women from singing in Church Choirs (i.e. the architectural Choir).

In the Prophecy of Saint Malachy, the collection of 112 Prophecies about the Popes, Pope Pius X appears as Ignis Ardens or "Burning Fire."

In 1913, Pius X suffered a heart attack, and subsequently lived in the shadow of poor health. In 1914, the Pope fell ill on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (15 August), an illness from which he would not recover. His condition was worsened by the events leading to the outbreak of World War I (1914–18), which reportedly sent the 79-year-old Pope into a state of melancholy. He died on 20 August 1914 of a heart attack, only a few hours after the death of Jesuit leader, Franz Xavier Wernz, and on the very day when German forces marched into Brussels.

Following his death, Pius X was buried in a simple and unadorned tomb in the Crypt below Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome. Papal physicians had been in the habit of removing organs to aid the embalming process. Pius X expressly prohibited this in his burial and successive Popes have continued this tradition.




Photo of Pope Pius X on his death-bed, 20 August, 1914.
Source: Vat Photo. Transferred from en.wikipedia
transferred to Commons by User:Sevela.p using CommonsHelper.
Author: Felici. Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Although Pius X's Canonisation took place in 1954, the events leading up to it began immediately with his death. A letter of 24 September 1916 by Monsignor Leo, Bishop of Nicotera and Tropea, referred to Pope Pius X as "a great Saint and a great Pope." To accommodate the large number of pilgrims seeking access to his tomb, more than what the Crypt would hold, "a small metal Cross was set into the floor of the Basilica," which read Pius Papa X, "so that the Faithful might kneel down directly above the tomb". Masses were held near his tomb until 1930.

Devotion to Pius X between the two World Wars remained high. On 14 February 1923, in honour of the 20th anniversary of his accession to the Papacy, the first moves toward his Canonisation began with the formal appointment of those who would carry out his Cause. The event was marked by the erecting of a Monument in his memory in Saint Peter's Basilica. On 19 August 1939, Pope Pius XII (1939–58) delivered a tribute to Pope Pius X at Castel Gandolfo. On 12 February 1943, a further development of Pius X's Cause was achieved, when he was declared to have displayed Heroic Virtues, gaining therefore the Title "Venerable".

On 19 May 1944, Pius X's coffin was exhumed and was taken to the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix in Saint Peter's Basilica for the Canonical examination. Upon opening the coffin, the examiners found the body of Pius X remarkably well preserved, despite the fact that he had died 30 years before and had made wishes not to be embalmed. According to Jerome Dai-Gal, "all of the body" of Pius X "was in an excellent state of conservation".

After the examination and the end of the Apostolic Process towards Pius X's Cause, Pope Pius XII bestowed the Title of Venerable Servant of God upon Pius X. His body was exposed for 45 days (Rome was liberated by the Allies during this time), before being placed back in his tomb.


File:PiusXbenedict XV.jpg


Copyright-expired-photo of Pope Pius X (standing on the left) 
on 18 December, 1907, consecrating Giacomo della Chiesa 
(sitting in front of the Altar with Mitre and Crosier; 
later Pope Benedict XV) in the Vatican.
Source: Vat Photo.
Author: "G. Felici, fotografo papale"; 
Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Following this, the process towards Beatification began, and thus Investigations by the Sacred Congregation of Rites (S.C.R.), into Miracles performed by intercessory work of Pius X, subsequently took place. The S.C.R. would eventually recognise two Miracles. 

The first Miracle involved Sister Marie-Françoise Deperras, a Nun, who had bone cancer, and was cured on 7 December, 1928, during a Novena, in which a Relic of Pius X was placed on her chest. The second Miracle involved Sister Benedetta De Maria, who had cancer, and in a Novena, started in 1938, she eventually touched a Relic statue of Pius X and was cured.




Giuseppe Sarti (later Pope Pius X), as a Bishop.
Photo: Between 1884, when Sarto became a Bishop,
and 1893, when he was elevated to Cardinal.
Author: Out of Copyright, due to age (19th-Century).
(Wikimedia Commons)


Pope Pius XII officially approved the two Miracles, on 11 February, 1951, and on 4 March, 1951, Pius XII, in his De Tuto, declared that the Church could continue in the Beatification of the Venerable Pope Pius X. His Beatification took place on 3 June, 1951, at Saint Peter's Basilica, before twenty-three Cardinals, hundreds of Bishops and Archbishops, and a crowd of 100,000 Faithful. During his Beatification Decree, Pope Pius XII referred to Pope Pius X as "Pope of the Eucharist", in honour of Pope Pius X's expansion of the Rite to children.

Following his Beatification, on 17 February, 1952, Pius X's body was transferred from its tomb to the Vatican Basilica and placed under the Altar of the Chapel of the Presentation. The Pontiff's body lies within a glass and bronze-work sarcophagus for the Faithful to see.




A short Video of the 
Canonisation of Pope Saint Pius X 
is available on YouTube at


On 29 May, 1954, less than three years after his Beatification, Pius X was canonised, following the S.C.R.'s recognition of two more Miracles. The first Miracle involved Francesco Belsami, an attorney from Naples, who had a fatal pulmonary abscess, who was cured upon placing a picture of Pope Pius X upon his chest. The second Miracle involved Sister Maria Ludovica Scorcia, a Nun, who was afflicted with a serious neurotropic virus, and who, upon several Novenas, was entirely cured.

The Canonisation Mass was presided over by Pope Pius XII at Saint Peter's Basilica before a crowd of about 800,000 of the Faithful and Church officials at Saint Peter's Basilica. Pope Pius X became the first Pope to be canonised since Pope Pius V was canonised in 1712.

His Canonisation Ceremony was taped and recorded by early television news broadcasters, including NBC.

Prayer Cards often depict the Sanctified Pontiff with instruments of Holy Communion. In addition to being celebrated as the "Pope of the Blessed Sacrament," Pope Saint Pius X is also the Patron Saint of emigrants from Treviso. He is honoured in numerous Parishes in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the United States.




Another Video of the 
Canonisation Mass 
for Pope Saint Pius X 
is available on YouTube at


The number of Parishes, Schools, Seminaries and Retreat Houses named after him in Western countries is very large, partly because he was very-well-known, and his Beatification and Canonisation in the early-1950s was during a period following World War II, when there was a great deal of new construction in cities and population growth in the era of the baby boom, thus leading to Catholic institutional expansion that correlated with the growing society.

Pope Saint Pius X's Feast Day was assigned in 1955 to 3 September, to be celebrated as a Double Rite. It remained thus for fifteen years. In the 1960 Calendar (incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII, whose continued use as an Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is authorised under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum) the Rank was changed to Third-Class Feast. The Rank in the General Roman Calendar, since 1969, is that of Memorial and the Feast Day is obligatorily celebrated on 21 August, closer to the day of his death (20 August, impeded by the Feast Day of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux).




A Video showing Pope Saint Pius X 
and  Papal Liturgy 
is available on YouTube at


The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was a big supporter of his Canonisation, partly because he had ordained the need for its existence in every Diocese and because it had received a great deal of Episcopal criticism, and it was thought that by Canonising the Pope, who gave them their mandate, this would help inculcate against this criticism. They initiated a Prayer Crusade for his Canonisation that achieved the participation of over two million names.

After the Pope's Canonisation, another Miracle is said to have taken place when a Christian family activist, named Clem Lane, suffered a major heart attack and was placed in an oxygen tent, where he was given the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (Last Rites). A Relic of the Pope was placed over his oxygen tent, and he recovered, to the great surprise of his doctors. A Sister of Loretto, at Webster College, in St Louis, Missouri, claimed that her Priest brother had been cured through the Pope's intercession, as well.


THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON POPE SAINT PIUS X.


Friday 26 July 2013

Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament. (Part Five).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Deutsch: Papst Pius X. (eigentlich Giuseppe Sarto,
* 2. Juni 1835 in Riese (Provinz Treviso);
† 20. August 1914 in Rom) war als Nachfolger Leo XIII.
Papst von 1903 bis 1914.
English: Pope Saint Pius X, born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto,
(2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914)
was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII.
Français: Pape Pie X, né Giuseppe Sarto à Riese (Italie)
le 2 juin 1835 - mort à Rome, au Vatican le 20 août 1914),
succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.
Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto
(Riese, 2 giugno 1835 - Roma, Vaticano, 20 agosto 1914),
succedette il 4 agosto 1903 a Leone XIII.
Português do Brasil: Papa São Pio X.
Photo: 22 October 2011.
Source: Vaticano.
Author: Não sei.
This image (or other media file)
is in the public domain
because its Copyright has expired.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Pope Pius X reversed the accommodating approach of Pope Leo XIII towards secular governments, appointing Rafael Merry del Val as Cardinal Secretary of State (Rafael Merry del Val would later have his own cause opened for Canonisation in 1953, but still has not been beatified). When the French President, Émile Loubet, visited the Italian Monarch, Victor Emmanuel III (1900–46), Pope Pius X, still refusing to accept the annexation of the Papal Territories by Italy, reproached the French President for this visit and refused to meet him. This led to a diplomatic break with France and, in 1905, France issued a Law of Separation, which separated Church and State, and which the Pope denounced. The effect of this separation was the Church’s loss of its government funding in France. Two French Bishops were removed by the Vatican for recognising the Third Republic. Eventually, France expelled the Jesuits and broke off diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

The Pope adopted a similar position toward secular governments in other parts of the world: In Portugal, Ireland, Poland, Ethiopia, and a number of other States with large Catholic populations. His actions and statements against international relations with Italy angered the secular powers of these countries, as well as a few others, like England and Russia. In Ulster, Protestants were increasingly worried that a proposed Home Rule Ireland, run by Catholics inspired by Pius X, would result in Rome Rule.


File:Rafael Merry del Val.jpg


English: His Eminence, the Most Reverend Lord Rafael María José, 
Cardinal Merry del Val y de Zulueta.
Appointed by Pope Pius X as Cardinal Secretary of State.
Français: Son Excellence Monseigneur Merry Del Val.
Photo: 1897.
Source: This image is available from Library and Archives Canada 
under the reproduction reference number PA-028855 
and under the MIKAN ID number 3357232.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In 1908, the Papal Decree, Ne Temere, came into effect, which complicated mixed marriages. Marriages not performed by a Roman Catholic Priest were declared legal but Sacramentally invalid, worrying some Protestants that the Church would counsel separation for couples married in a Protestant Church or by civil service. 

Priests were given discretion to refuse to perform mixed marriages or lay conditions upon them, commonly including a requirement that the children be raised Roman Catholic. The Decree proved particularly divisive in Ireland, which has a large Protestant minority, contributing indirectly to the subsequent political conflict there and requiring debates in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

As secular authority challenged that of the Papacy, Pope Pius X became more aggressive. He suspended the Opera dei Congressi, which co-ordinated the work of Catholic Associations in Italy, as well as condemning Le Sillon, a French Social Movement, that tried to reconcile the Church with liberal political views. He also opposed trades unions that were not exclusively Catholic.

Pope Pius X partially lifted Decrees prohibiting Italian Catholics from voting; however, he never recognised the Italian Government.


File:Nicholas II, Tsar.jpg


Issued a Decree promising religious freedom for the Catholic Church.
This File: 29 May 2013.
Source: File:Nicholas II in Spala.jpg
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Initially, Pope Pius X maintained his prisoner in the Vatican stance, but, with the rise of Socialism, he began to allow the Non Expedit to be relaxed. In 1905, in his Encyclical, Il Fermo Proposito, he allowed Catholics to vote, when they were "help[ing] the maintenance of Social order" by voting for Deputies who were not Socialist.

Under Pope Pius X, the traditionally difficult situation of Polish Catholics in Russia did not improve. Although Tsar Nicholas II of Russia issued a Decree, 22 February 1903, promising religious freedom for the Catholic Church, and, in 1905, promulgated a Constitution, which included religious freedom, the Russian Orthodox Church felt threatened and insisted on stiff interpretations. Papal Decrees were not permitted and contacts with the Vatican remained outlawed.

In 1908, Pope Pius X lifted the United States out of its Missionary status, in recognition of the growth of the American Church. Fifteen new Dioceses were created in the U.S. during his Pontificate, and he named two American Cardinals. He was very popular among American Catholics, partly due to his poor background, which made him be seen as an ordinary person who was on the Papal Throne.


File:T Roosevelt.jpg


Theodore Roosevelt, former President of the United States.
Was refused an Audience by Pope Pius X.
Date: Copyright 1915.
Source: This image is available from the United States 
Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs 
division under the digital ID cph.3f06209.
Author: Pach Brothers (photography studio).
(Wikimedia Commons)


In 1910, the Pope refused an Audience with former Vice-President, Charles W. Fairbanks, who had addressed the Methodist Association in Rome, as well as with former President, Theodore Roosevelt, who intended to address the same Association.

On 8 July 1914, Pope Pius X approved the request of Cardinal James Gibbons to invoke the Patronage of the Immaculate Conception for the construction site of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

Other than the stories of Miracles performed through the Pope's intercession after his death, there are also stories of Miracles performed by the Pope during his lifetime. On one occasion, during a Papal Audience, Pope Pius X was holding a paralyzed child, who wriggled free from his arms and then ran around the room. On another occasion, a couple (who had made Confession to him while he was Bishop of Mantua), with a two-year-old child with meningitis, wrote to the Pope and the Pope then wrote back to them to hope and Pray. Two days later, the child was cured.

Cardinal Ernesto Ruffini (later Archbishop of Palermo) had visited the Pope, after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and the Pope had told him to go back to the Seminary and that he would be fine. Ruffini gave this story to the investigators of the Pontiff's cause for canonisation.


PART SIX FOLLOWS.


Thursday 18 July 2013

Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament. (Part Four).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Deutsch: Papst Pius X. (eigentlich Giuseppe Sarto, 
* 2. Juni 1835 in Riese (Provinz Treviso); 
† 20. August 1914 in Rom) war als Nachfolger Leo XIII. 
Papst von 1903 bis 1914.
English: Pope Saint Pius X, born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, 
(2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) 
was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII.
Français: Pape Pie X, né Giuseppe Sarto à Riese (Italie) 
le 2 juin 1835 - mort à Rome, au Vatican le 20 août 1914), 
succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.
Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto 
(Riese, 2 giugno 1835 - RomaVaticano20 agosto 1914), 
succedette il 4 agosto 1903 a Leone XIII.
Português do Brasil: Papa São Pio X.
Photo: 22 October 2011.
Source: Vaticano.
Author: Não sei.
This image (or other media file)
is in the public domain
because its copyright has expired.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Modernist movement was linked especially with certain Catholic French scholars, such as Louis Duchesne, who questioned the belief that God acts in a direct way in the affairs of humanity, and Alfred Loisy, who denied that every line of Scripture was literally, rather than, perhaps, metaphorically, true.

In contradiction to Saint Thomas Aquinas, they argued that there was an unbridgeable gap between natural and supernatural knowledge. Its unwanted effects, from the traditional viewpoint, were relativism and scepticism. Modernism and Relativism, in terms of their presence in the Church, were theological trends that tried to assimilate modern philosophers, like Kant, as well as Rationalism, into Catholic Theology. 

Modernists argued that beliefs of the Church have evolved throughout its history and continue to evolve. Anti-Modernists viewed these notions as contrary to the Dogmas and traditions of the Catholic Church.


File:PiusXbenedict XV.jpg


Copyright-expired-photo of Pope Saint Pius X 
(standing on the left) on 18 December, 1907, Consecrating Giacomo della Chiesa 
(sitting in front of the Altar with Mitre and Crosier 
(later Pope Benedict XV)) in the Vatican.
Photo: 18 December 2007.
Source: Vat Photo.
Author: "G. Felici, fotografo papale"; 
Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In a Decree, entitled Lamentabili Sane Exitu (or "A Lamentable Departure Indeed"), issued 3 July 1907, Pope Pius X formally condemned sixty-five Modernist or Relativist propositions concerning the nature of the Church, RevelationBiblical Exegesis, the Sacraments, and the Divinity of Christ. This was followed by the Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (or "Feeding the Lord's Flock"), which characterised Modernism as the "synthesis of all Heresies." 

Following these, Pope Pius X ordered that all Clerics take the Sacrorum antistitum, an Oath against Modernism. Pope Pius X's aggressive stance against Modernism caused some disruption within the Church. Although only about 40 Clerics refused to take the Oath, Catholic scholarship with Modernistic tendencies was substantially discouraged. Theologians who wished to pursue lines of inquiry in line with Secularism, Modernism, or Relativism, had to stop, or face conflict with the Papacy, and possibly even Excommunication.


File:C o a Pio X.svg


English: Arms of Pope Saint Pius X.
Français: Armoiries du pape Pie X
D'azur à l'ancre de sable posée sur une mer d'argent et d'azur 
accompagnée en chef d'une étoile d'or, au chef d'argent au lion d'or léopardé 
et ailé, tenant un évangile ouvert de même portant le texte 
"PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS" en lettres de sable
Date: 20 August 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Odejea.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The personal Papal Arms of Pope Pius X are composed of the traditional elements of all Papal heraldry before Pope Benedict XVI: The Shield, the Papal Tiara, and the Keys. The Tiara and Keys are typical symbols used in the Coats of Arms of Pontiffs, which symbolise their authority.

The Shield of Pope Pius X's Coat of Arms is "Charged" in two basic parts, as it is "Per Fess". "In Chief" (the top part of the Shield) shows the Arms of the Patriarch of Venice, which Pope Pius X was from 1893 to 1903. It consists of the Lion of Saint Mark, "Proper" and haloed in silver upon a silver-white background, displaying a book with the inscription of "PAX TIBI MARCE" on the left page and "EVANGELISTA MEUS" on the right page.

"Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus" is the motto of Venice and is Latin for "Peace to you, Mark, My Evangelist". This motto refers to Venice as the final resting place of Saint Mark. The display of the Arms of the Patriarchate of Venice in the Papal Coat of Arms of Popes who were Archbishops of that city is traditional; the same "Chief" can be seen in the Arms of the later Popes, who were Patriarchs of Venice upon election to the See of Rome, Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul I. Renditions of this part of Pope Pius X's Arms depict the lion either with or without a sword, and sometimes only one side of the book is written on.

The Shield displays the Arms that Pope Pius X took as Bishop of Mantua: an Anchor "Proper" cast into a stormy sea (the Blue and Silver wavy lines), lit up by a single Six-Pointed Star of Gold. These were inspired by Hebrews 6:19, which states that the hope we have is the sure and steadfast anchor of the Soul. Pope Pius X, then Bishop Sarto, stated that "hope is the sole companion of my life, the greatest support in uncertainty, the strongest power in situations of weakness."


In 1905, Pope Pius X, in his Letter "Acerbo Nimis", mandated the existence of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (Catechism Class) in every Parish in the world.

The Catechism of Pope Pius X is his realisation of a simple, plain, brief, popular Catechism for uniform use throughout the whole world; it was used in the Ecclesiastical Province of Rome and for some years in other parts of Italy; it was not, however, prescribed for use throughout the Universal Church.

The characteristics of Pope Pius X were "simplicity of exposition and depth of content. Also, because of this, Pope Pius X's Catechism might have friends in the future." The Catechism was extolled as a method of religious teaching in his Encyclical "Acerbo Nimis" of April 1905.

The Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X was issued in 1908, (in Italian, Catechismo della dottrina Cristiana, Pubblicato per Ordine del Sommo Pontifice San Pio X). An English translation runs to more than one hundred and fifteen pages.


File:MarrydelValpacelli.jpg


Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII, at left) 
and Cardinal Secretary, Merry del Val, 
at the signing ceremony of the Serbian "Concordat"
underneath the picture of Pope Pius X, 24 June 1914.
Source: Vatican photo.
Author: "G. Felici, fotografo papale" (1839-1923).
(Wikimedia Commons)


Asked, in 2003, whether the almost one-hundred-years-old-Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X was still valid, Cardinal Ratzinger said: "The Faith, as such, is always the same. Hence, the Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X always preserves its value. Whereas ways of transmitting the contents of the Faith can change instead. And, hence, one may wonder whether the Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X can, in that sense, still be considered valid today."

Canon Law in the Catholic Church varied from region to region with no overall prescriptions. On 19 March 1904, Pope Pius X named a Commission of Cardinals to draft a universal set of laws that was to be the Code of Canon Law for most of the 20th-Century. Two of his successors worked in the Commission, G. della Chiesa, who became Pope Benedict XV, and Eugenio Pacelli, who became Pope Pius XII. The first-ever definitive Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Pope Benedict XV on 27 May 1917, obtained the force of Law on 19 May 1918 and was in effect until Advent, 1983.

Pope Pius X reformed the Roman Curia, with the Constitution Sapienti Consilio, and specified new rules enforcing a Bishop's oversight of Seminaries in the Encyclical Pieni L'Animo. He established regional Seminaries (closing some smaller ones), and promulgated a new plan of Seminary study. He also barred Clergy from administering social organisations.


PART FIVE FOLLOWS.


Monday 15 July 2013

Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament. (Part Three).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Deutsch: Papst Pius X. (eigentlich Giuseppe Sarto, 
* 2. Juni 1835 in Riese (Provinz Treviso); 
† 20. August 1914 in Rom) war als Nachfolger Leo XIII. 
Papst von 1903 bis 1914.
English: Pope Saint Pius X, born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, 
(2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) 
was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII.
Français: Pape Pie X, né Giuseppe Sarto à Riese (Italie) 
le 2 juin 1835 - mort à Rome, au Vatican le 20 août 1914), 
succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.
Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto 
(Riese, 2 giugno 1835 - RomaVaticano20 agosto 1914), 
succedette il 4 agosto 1903 a Leone XIII.
Português do Brasil: Papa São Pio X.
Photo: 22 October 2011.
Source: Vaticano.
Author: Não sei.
This image (or other media file)
is in the public domain
because its copyright has expired.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Pius X promoted daily Communion for all Catholics, a practice that was criticised for introducing irreverence. In his 1904 Encyclical, Ad Diem Illum, he views Mary in the context of "restoring everything in Christ".

According to the Encyclical, Spiritually we all are her children and she is the Mother of us, therefore, she is to be revered like a mother. Christ is the Word made Flesh and the Saviour of mankind. He had a physical body like every other man; and, as saviour of the human family, He had a Spiritual and Mystical Body, the Church. This, the Pope argues, has consequences for our view of the Blessed Virgin. She did not conceive the Eternal Son of God merely that He might be made man taking His human nature from her, but also, by giving Him her human nature, that He might be the Redeemer of Men. 

Mary, carrying the Saviour within her, also carried all those whose life was contained in the life of the Saviour. Therefore, all the Faithful, united to Christ, are Members of His Body, of His Flesh, and of His Bones, from the womb of Mary, like a body united to its head. Through a Spiritual and Mystical fashion, all are Children of Mary, and she is their Mother. Mother, Spiritually, but truly Mother of the Members of Christ (S. Aug. L. de S. Virginitate, c. 6).


File:PiusXvatgarden.jpg


A 1904, Copyright-expired, photo of Pope Saint Pius X (1903 - 1914).
Photo: December 1904.
Source: 1904 book on Pope Pius
Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Sevela.p using CommonsHelper.
Author: Karl Benzinger. Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Within three months of his Coronation, Pope Pius X published his motu proprio, Tra le sollecitudiniClassical and Baroque compositions had long been favoured over Gregorian Chant in ecclesiastical music. The Pope announced a return to earlier musical styles, championed by Don Perosi. Since 1898, Perosi had been Director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, a title which Pope Pius X upgraded to "Perpetual Director." The Pope's choice of Dom Joseph Pothier, to supervise the new editions of Chant, led to the official adoption of the Solesmes edition of Gregorian Chant.

In his Papacy, Pope Pius X worked to increase devotion in the lives of the Clergy and Laity, particularly in the Breviary, which he reformed considerably, and the Holy Mass.

Besides restoring to prominence Gregorian Chant, he placed a renewed Liturgical emphasis on the Eucharist, saying: "Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven." To this end, he encouraged frequent reception of Holy Communion. This also extended to children who had reached the "age of discretion", though he did not permit the ancient Eastern practice of infant communion. He also emphasised frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Penance so that Holy Communion would be received worthily. Pope Pius X's devotion to the Eucharist would eventually earn him the honorific of "Pope of the Blessed Sacrament," by which he is still known among his devotees.


File:PiusXstudy.jpg


A 1904, Copyright-expired, photo of Pope Saint Pius X (1903 - 1914).
Photo: December 1904.
Source: 1904 book on Pope Pius
Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Sevela.p using CommonsHelper.
Author: Karl Benzinger. Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In 1910, he issued the Decree, Quam Singulari, which changed the age of discretion from twelve to seven years old. The Pope lowered the age because he wished to impress the event on the minds of children and stimulate their parents to new religious observance; this Decree was found unwelcome in some places, due to the belief that parents would withdraw their children early from Catholic schools, now that First Communion was carried out earlier.

Pope Pius X said, in his 1903 motu proprio, Tra le sollecitudini: "The primary, and indispensable source of the true Christian spirit, is participation in the Most Holy Mysteries and in the public official Prayer of the Church".

Pope Leo XIII had sought to revive the inheritance of Thomas Aquinas, 'the marriage of reason and revelation', as a response to secular 'enlightenment'. Under the Pontificate of Pope Pius X, neo-Thomism became the blueprint for an approach to Theology. Pope Pius X's Papacy featured vigorous condemnation of what he termed 'Modernists' and 'Relativists', whom he regarded as dangers to the Catholic Faith (see, for example, his Oath Against Modernism).


File:Mladý Jozef Sarto - neskorší pápež Pius X..jpg


A young Giuseppe Sarto (later, Pope Saint Pius X).
This file is in the public domain
because it is "Out of Copyright" 
due to age (Mid-19th-Century).
(Wikimedia Commons)


This is perhaps the most controversial aspect of his Papacy. He also encouraged the formation and efforts of Sodalitium Pianum (or "League of Pius V"), an anti-Modernist network of informants, which was seen negatively by many people, due to its accusations of Heresy against people on the flimsiest evidence.

This campaign against Modernism was run by Umberto Benigni in the Department of Extraordinary Affairs in the Secretariat of State, distributing anti-Modernist propaganda and gathering information on "culprits". Benigni had his own secret code — Pope Pius X was known as Mama.


File:Kardinál Sarto.jpg


Cardinal Sarto (later, Pope Saint Pius X).
This file is in the public domain
because it is "Out of Copyright" 
due to age (Mid-19th-Century).
(Wikimedia Commons)


PART FOUR FOLLOWS.


Friday 21 June 2013

Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament. (Part One)


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Deutsch: Papst Pius X. (eigentlich Giuseppe Sarto, * 2. Juni 1835 in Riese (Provinz Treviso); 
† 20. August 1914 in Rom) war als Nachfolger Leo XIII. 
Papst von 1903 bis 1914.
English: Pope Saint Pius X, born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, 
(2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) 
was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII.
Français: Pape Pie X, né Giuseppe Sarto à Riese (Italie) 
le 2 juin 1835 - mort à Rome, au Vatican le 20 août 1914), 
succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.
Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto 
(Riese, 2 giugno 1835 - Roma, Vaticano20 agosto 1914), 
succedette il 4 agosto 1903 a Leone XIII.
Português do Brasil: Papa São Pio X.
Photo: 22 October 2011.
Source: Vaticano.
Author: Não sei.
This image (or other media file)
is in the public domain
because its copyright has expired.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Pope Pius X (Latin: Pius PP. X, Italian: Pio X; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914), born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the Head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in 1914. He was the first Pope since Pius V (1566 to 1572) to be Canonised.

Pius X rejected Modernist interpretations of Catholic Doctrine, promoting Traditional devotional practices and orthodox theology. His most important reform was to publish the first Code of Canon Law, which collected the laws of the Church into one volume for the first time. He was a pastoral Pope, encouraging personal piety and a lifestyle reflecting Christian values. He was born in the town of Riese, which would later append "Pio X" (Pius X's name in Italian) to the town's name.

Pius X was particularly devoted to Mary; his Encyclical, "Ad Diem Illum", expresses his desire, through Mary, to renew all things in Christ, which he had defined as his motto in his first Encyclical. Pope Pius X believed that there is no surer or more direct road than by the Virgin Mary to achieve this goal. Pius X was the only Pope in the 20th-Century with extensive pastoral experience at the Parish level, and pastoral concerns permeated his Papacy; he favoured the use of the vernacular in Catechesis. Frequent Communion was a lasting innovation of his Papacy.




Pope Saint Pius X.
Pope of The Blessed Sacrament.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/d2jvkfHcIgU.


His immediate predecessor had actively promoted a synthesis between the Catholic Church and secular culture; Faith and Science; and Divine Revelation and Reason. Pius X defended the Catholic Faith against popular 19th-Century views, such as indifferentism and relativism, which his predecessors had warned against, as well. He followed the example of Pope Leo XIII by promoting Thomas Aquinas and Thomism as the principal philosophical method to be taught in Catholic institutions. Pope Pius X opposed Modernism, which claimed that Roman Catholic Dogma should be modernised and blended with 19th-Century philosophies. He viewed Modernism as an import of secular errors affecting three areas of Roman Catholic belief: Theology; Philosophy, and Dogma.

Personally, Pius X combined, within himself, a strong sense of compassion, benevolence and poverty, but also stubbornness and a certain stiffness. He wanted to be pastoral and was the only Pope in the 20th-Century who gave Sunday Sermons every week.

After the 1908 Messina earthquake, he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acted. He rejected any kind of favours for his family; his brother remained a postal clerk, his favourite nephew stayed on as village Priest, and his three sisters lived together, close to poverty, in Rome. He often referred to his own humble origins, taking up the causes of poor people. I was born poor, I have lived poor, and I wish to die poor. Considered a holy person by many, public veneration of Pope Pius X began soon after his death. Numerous petitions resulted in an early process of Beatification.




Pope Saint Pius X
and Papal Liturgy.
Available on YouTube at


Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto was born in Riese, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, Austrian Empire (now Italy). Some sources say that his father, Giovanni Sarto (in Polish, Jan Krawiec, in German, Jan Krawietz) was a Pole, who emigrated to today's Italy from Boguszyce - a village in the district of Toszek, within Gliwice, Silesian Voivodeship, in Southern Poland; located exactly in Upper Silesia "for a better life". Then changed his name from Krawiec to Sarto. However, officially, Vatican genealogy states that Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto was the second-born of ten children of Giovanni Battista Sarto (1792–1852) and Margarita Sanson (1813–1894). 

Many historians believe that Vatican rulers had their own goal in hiding his Polish ancestry from his father's side, due to his "dangerous" beliefs. He was baptised 3 June 1835. Giuseppe's childhood was one of poverty, being the son of the village postman. Though poor, his parents valued education, and Giuseppe walked six kilometers to school each day.

Giuseppe had three brothers and six sisters: Giuseppe Sarto, 1834 (died after six days); Angelo Sarto, 1837–1916; Teresa Parolin-Sarto, 1839–1920; Rosa Sarto, 1841–1913; Antonia Dei Bei-Sarto, 1843–1917; Maria Sarto, 1846–1930; Lucia Boschin-Sarto, 1848–1924; Anna Sarto, 1850–1926; Pietro Sarto, 1852 (died after six months).

At a young age, Giuseppe studied Latin with his village Priest, and went on to study at the Gymnasium of Castelfranco Veneto. "In 1850, he received the Tonsure from the Bishop of Treviso, and was given a scholarship [from] the Diocese of Treviso" to attend the Seminary of Padua, "where he finished his classical, philosophical, and theological studies with distinction" ["Pope Pius X". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.]


File:CastelfrancoV porta.jpg


English: The Western Gate of the old historical centre of 
Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, where Pope Pius X studied.
Italiano: Porta di accesso al centro storico di Castelfranco Veneto, 
provenendo da Vicenza.
Photo: August 2009.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


On 18 September 1858, Sarto was ordained a Priest, and became Chaplain at Tombolo. While there, Father Sarto expanded his knowledge of Theology, studying both Saint Thomas Aquinas and Canon Law, while carrying out most of the functions of the Parish Pastor, who was quite ill. In 1867, he was named Archpriest of Salzano. Here he restored the Church and expanded the hospital, the funds coming from his own begging, wealth and labour. He became popular with the people when he worked to assist the sick during the cholera plague that swept into Northern Italy in the early 1870s. 

He was named a Canon of the Cathedral and Chancellor of the Diocese of Treviso, also holding Offices, such as Spiritual Director and Rector of the Treviso Seminary, and Examiner of the Clergy. As Chancellor,  he made it possible for public school students to receive religious instruction. As a Priest and, later, Bishop, he often struggled over solving problems of bringing religious instruction to rural and urban youth, who did not have the opportunity to attend Catholic schools.

In 1878, Bishop Zanelli died, leaving the Bishopric of Treviso vacant. Following Zanelli's death, the Canons of Cathedral Chapters (of which Monsignor Sarto was one) inherited the episcopal jurisdiction as Corporate Body, and were chiefly responsible for the election of a Vicar-Capitular, who would take over the responsibilities of Treviso until a new Bishop was named. In 1879, Sarto was elected to the position, in which he served from December of that year to June 1880.

After 1880, Sarto taught Dogmatic Theology and Moral Theology at the Seminary in Treviso. On 10 November 1884, he was appointed Bishop of Mantua, by Pope Leo XIII. He was Consecrated six days later, in the Church of Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine, Rome, by Lucido Cardinal Parocchi, assisted by Pietro Rota, and by Giovanni Maria Berengo. 

He was appointed to the honorary position of Assistant at the Pontifical Throne on 19 June 1891. Father Satro required Papal dispensation, from Pope Leo XIII, before Episcopal Consecration, as he lacked a Doctorate, making him [in his later life] the last Pope without a Doctorate.


File:PiusXbenedict XV.jpg


Copyright-expired photo of Pope Saint Pius X (standing on the left), on 18 December 1907, Consecrating Giacomo della Chiesa (sitting in front of the Altar, with Mitre and Crosier; 
later, Pope Benedict XV) in the Vatican.
Photo: 18 December 1907.
Source: Vat Photo.
Author: "G. Felici, fotografo papale"; Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions 
under Copyright Law, including all related and neighboring rights.
(Wikimedia Commons)


PART TWO FOLLOWS.


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