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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)
succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.
Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto
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)
As Cardinal-Patriarch, Sarto avoided political involvement, allocating his time for social works and strengthening parochial banks. However, in his first Pastoral Letter to the Venetians, Cardinal Sarto argued that, in matters pertaining to the Pope: "There should be no questions, no subtleties, no opposing of personal rights to his rights, but only obedience."
On 20 July 1903, Pope Leo XIII died, and at the end of that month the Conclave convened to elect his successor. According to historians, the favourite was the Late-Pope's Secretary of State, Cardinal Mariano Rampolla. On the first ballot, Rampolla received twenty-four votes, Gotti had seventeen votes, and Sarto five votes. On the second ballot, Rampolla had gained five votes, as did Sarto. The next day, it seemed that Rampolla would be elected. However, the veto (jus exclusivae) against Rampolla's nomination, by Polish Cardinal, Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko, from Kraków, in the name of Emperor Franz Joseph (1848–1916) of Austria-Hungary, was proclaimed. Many in the Conclave, including Rampolla, protested the veto, and it was even suggested that he be elected Pope despite the veto.
However, the third vote had already begun, and thus the Conclave had to continue with the voting, which resulted in no clear winner, though it did indicate that many of the Conclave wished to turn their support to Sarto, who had twenty-one votes, upon counting. The fourth vote showed Rampolla with thirty votes and Sarto with twenty-four. It seemed clear that the Cardinals were moving toward Sarto.
On the following morning, the fifth vote of the Conclave was taken, and the count had Rampolla with ten votes, Gotti with two votes, and Sarto with fifty votes. Thus, on 4 August 1903, Cardinal Sarto was elected to the Pontificate. This marked the last time a veto would be exercised by a Catholic Monarch in the proceedings of the Conclave.
Emperor Franz Josef I.
He exercised the last veto by a Catholic Monarch
in the proceedings of a Papal Conclave.
Photo: Circa 1898 [1].
Photographer: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)
On the following morning, the fifth vote of the Conclave was taken, and the count had Rampolla with ten votes, Gotti with two votes, and Sarto with fifty votes. Thus, on 4 August 1903, Cardinal Sarto was elected to the Pontificate. This marked the last time a veto would be exercised by a Catholic Monarch in the proceedings of the Conclave.
Pope Pius X, October 1903,
on a page of "Catholic Missions for Germany and Austria-Hungary",
in Freiburg in Breisgau, Germany.
Photo: October 1903.
Source: Scanned file from Zeitung Die katholischen Missionen, Illustrierte Monatschrift.
Author: Einige Priester der Gesellschaft Jesu, Freiburg in Breisgau.
(Wikimedia Commons)
At first, it was reported, Sarto declined the nomination, feeling unworthy. Additionally, he had been deeply saddened by the Austro-Hungarian veto and vowed to rescind these powers and excommunicate anyone who communicated such a veto during a Conclave. With the Cardinals asking him to reconsider, it is further reported, he went into solitude, and took the position after deep prayer in the Pauline Chapel and the urging of his fellow Cardinals.
In accepting the Papacy, Sarto took as his Papal Name, Pius X, out of respect for his recent predecessors of the same name, particularly Pope Pius IX (1846–78), who had fought against theological liberals and for Papal supremacy. Pius X's traditional coronation took place on the following Sunday, 9 August 1903. Upon being elected Pope, he was also formally the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Prefect of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches and Prefect of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation. There was, however, a Cardinal-Secretary to run these bodies on a day-to-day basis.
This is the first ever film footage and audio recording of a Pope.
It is of Pope Leo XIII. The film was shot in 1896.
It includes the audio recording of the Pope giving a Blessing
in Rome, February 1903, the year of his death.
Available on YouTube at
His simple origins became clear right after his election, when he wore a Pectoral Cross made of gilded metal on the day of his coronation and, when his entourage was horrified, the new Pope complained that he always wore it and that he had brought no other with him. He was well known for cutting down on Papal Ceremonies. He also abolished the custom of the Pope dining alone (which had been established by Pope Urban VIII), and the Pope invited his friends to eat with him.
He developed a reputation as being very friendly with children. He carried candy in his pockets for the street urchins in Mantua and Venice, and taught catechism to them. During Papal Audiences, he would gather children around him and talk to them about things that interested them. His weekly catechism lessons, in the courtyard of San Damaso, in the Vatican, always included a special place for children, and his decision to require the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, in every Parish, was partly motivated by a desire to reclaim children from religious ignorance.
PART THREE FOLLOWS.
