Undoubtedly one of the greatest Pontiffs of recent times was His Holiness Pope St Pius X. Few people in history have stood with such steadfast devotion to the unchanging principles of the Faith as St Pius X. He stated his ultimate goal as being, "To defend the Catholic faith and make all things new in Christ". He was born into a poor family in 1835 as Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto and entered the seminary when he was only fifteen-years-old. When he was 23 he was ordained priest in 1858. He soon became quite a favorite for his devotion and friendliness. HH Pope Leo XIII made him Cardinal and Patriarch of Venice before he was chosen to ascend the throne of St Peter in 1903.
As Pontiff, St Pius X soon set an example for his devotion to the traditions of the Faith and his unwavering opposition to the heretic trends of the modern age. He reformed the liturgical books, encouraged the laity to play a larger part in the mission of the Church and was a champion of the Gregorian Chant. He upgraded the Church in America from mission status and urged everyone to receive the Most Blessed Sacrament as often as possible. In international issues the Pope had great difficulty dealing with the repubican government of France and the continued problems with the unified Italy. St Pius X was determined that no government would have power over the workings of the Church.
During the reign of Pope St Pius X, people were begining to see come to fruition the seeds of corruption and debasement planted by the French Revolution, the rebellions of 1848 and the other liberal, secular and atheistic trends which had been set into motion much earlier. The Pope took a firm and uncompromising stand against this wave of Modernism. He denounced the idea that the Church should change to "keep up with the times". He recognized that truth does not change, and that the Church, as the body of Christ, was perfect, and it would be absolutely criminal to change what was already perfect. He instituted the "Oath Against Modernism" which has sadly fallen into disuse. He taught Christians to defend their traditions, be proud of their Faith, and to study the Scriptures to learn all they can of the truth of God.
Pope St Pius X had always pressed for greater Christian unity and brotherhood. A gentle and friendly man himself, he was deeply disturbed by the onset of World War I. Despite his efforts to promote pause and reconciliation, he was powerless to stop the war and his great saddness at the massive killing of Christians by other Christians hastened his death in 1914. |
