St. Pius X, Pope
(Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto).
Born 2 June, 1835, at Riese, Province of
Treviso, in
Venice. His
parents were Giovanni Battista Sartoand Margarita (
née Sanson); the former, a postman, died in 1852, but Margarita lived to see her son a
cardinal. After finishing his elements, Giuseppe at first received private lessons in Latin from the arch-priest of his town, Don Tito Fusaroni, after which he studied for four years at the gymnasium of Castelfranco Veneto, walking to and fro every day. In 1850 he received the
tonsure from the
Bishop of
Treviso, and was given a scholarship of the
Diocese of Treviso in the
seminary of Padua, where he finished his classical,
philosophical, and
theological studies with distinction. He was
ordained in 1858, and for nine years was
chaplain at Tombolo, having to assume most of the functions of
parish priest, as the
pastor was old and an invalid. He sought to perfect his
knowledge of
theology by assiduously studying Saint Thomas and canon law; at the same time he established a night
school for adult students, and devoted himself of the ministry of preaching in other towns to which he was called. In 1867 he was named arch-priest of Salzano, a large borough of the
Diocese of Treviso, where he restored the church, and provided for the enlargement and maintenance of the
hospital by his own means, consistently with his habitual generosity to the poor; he especially distinguished himself by hisabnegation during the cholera. He showed great solicitude for the religious instruction of adults. In 1875 he was made a canon of the
cathedral of
Treviso, and filled several offices, among them those of
spiritual director and
rector of the
seminary, examiner of the
clergy, and
vicar-general; moreover, he made it possible for the students of the public
schools to receive religious instruction. In 1878, on the death of Bishop Zanelli, he was elected
vicar-capitular. On 10 November, 1884, he was named
Bishopof
Mantua, then a very troublesome see, and
consecrated on 20 November. His chief care in his new position was for the formation of the
clergy at the
seminary, where, for several years, he himself taught
dogmatic theology, and for another year
moral theology. He wished the
doctrine and method of
St. Thomas to be followed, and to many of the poorer students he gave copies of the
"Summa theologica"; at the same time he cultivated the
Gregorian Chant in company with the seminarians. The temporal administration of his
see imposed great
sacrifices upon him. In 1887 he held a
diocesansynod. By his attendance at the confessional, he gave the example of pastoral
zeal. The
Catholicorganization of
Italy, then known as the "Opera dei Congressi", found in him a
zealous propagandist from the time of his ministry at Salzano.
At the secret consistory of June, 1893,
Leo XIII created him a
cardinal under the title of San Bernardoalle Terme; and in the public consistory, three days later, he was
preconized Patriarch of
Venice, retaining meanwhile the title of Apostolic Administrator of
Mantua. Cardinal Sarto was
obliged to wait eighteen months before he was able to take possession of his new diocese, because the Italiangovernment refused its
exequatur, claiming the right of
nomination as it had been exercised by theEmperor of
Austria. This matter was discussed with bitterness in the newspapers and in pamphlets; the Government, by way of reprisal, refused its
exequatur to the other
bishops who were appointed in the meantime, so that the number of vacant sees grew to thirty. Finally, the minister Crispi having returned to power, and the
Holy See having raised the mission of Eritrea to the rank of an ApostolicPrefecture in favour of the
Italian Capuchins, the Government withdrew from its position. Its opposition had not been caused by any objection to Sarto personally. At
Venice the
cardinal found a much bettercondition of things than he had found at
Mantua. There, also, he paid great attention to the
seminary, where he obtained the establishment of the faculty of canon law. In 1898 he held the
diocesan synod. He promoted the use of the
Gregorian Chant, and was a great patron of Lorenzo Perosi; he favouredsocial works, especially the rural
parochial banks; he discerned and energetically opposed the dangers of certain doctrines and the conduct of certain
Christian-Democrats. The international Eucharistic Congress of 1897, the centenary of
St. Gerard Sagredo (1900), and the blessing of the
corner-stoneof the new
belfry of
St. Mark's, also of the commemorative
chapel of Mt. Grappa (1901), were events that left a deep impression on him and his people. Meanwhile,
Leo XIII having died, the
cardinalsentered into
conclave and after several ballots Giuseppe Sarto was elected on 4 August by a vote of 55 out of a possible 60 votes. His
coronation took place on the following Sunday, 9 August, 1903.
In his first
Encyclical, wishing to develop his programme to some extent, he said that the motto of his pontificate would be "instaurare omnia in Christo" (
Ephesians 1:10). Accordingly, his greatest care always turned to the direct interests of the
Church. Before all else his efforts were directed to the promotion of
piety among the
faithful, and he advised all (Decr. S. Congr. Concil., 20 Dec., 1905) to receive
Holy Communion frequently and, if possible, daily, dispensing the sick from the
obligation of
fasting to the extent of enabling them to receive
Holy Communion twice each month, and even oftener (Decr. S. Congr. Rit., 7 Dec., 1906). Finally, by the
Decree "Quam Singulari" (15 Aug., 1910), he recommended that the first Communion of children should not be deferred too long after they had reached the age of discretion. It was by his desire that the Eucharistic Congress of 1905 was held at
Rome, while he enhanced the solemnity of subsequent Eucharistic congresses by sending to them
cardinal legates. The fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception was an occasion of which he took advantage to enjoin
devotion to Mary (Encyclical "Ad illum diem", 2 February, 1904); and the Marian Congress, together with the
coronation of the image of the Immaculate Conception in the choir of
St. Peter's, was a worthy culmination of the solemnity. As a simple
chaplain, a
bishop, and a patriarch, Giuseppe Sarto was a promoter of
sacred music; as
pope, he published, 22 November, 1903, a Motu Proprio on
sacred music in churches, and at the same time ordered the authentic
Gregorian Chant to be used everywhere, while he caused the choir books to be printed with the Vatican font of type under the supervision of a special commission. In the
Encyclical"Acerbo nimis" (15 April, 1905) he treated of the necessity of catechismal instruction, not only for children, but also for adults, giving detailed rules, especially in relation to suitable
schools for thereligious instruction of students of the public
schools, and even of the
universities. He caused a new
catechism to be published for the Diocese of
Rome.
As
bishop, his chief care had been for the formation of the
clergy, and in harmony with this purpose, an
Encyclical to the Italian episcopate (28 July, 1906) enjoined the greatest caution in the
ordinationof
priests, calling the attention of the
bishops to the fact that there was frequently manifested among the younger
clergy a spirit of independence that was a menace to
ecclesiastical discipline. In theinterest of
Italian seminaries, he order them to be visited by the
bishops, and
promulgated a new order of studies, which had been in use for several years at the Roman Seminary. On the other hand, as the
dioceses of Central and of Southern
Italy were so small that their respective
seminaries could not prosper,
Pius X established the regional
seminary which is common to the
sees of a given region; and, as a consequence, many small, deficient
seminaries were closed. For the more efficient guidance of
souls, by a
Decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Consistory (20 August, 1910), instructions were given concerning the removal of
parish priests, as administrative acts, when such procedure was required by grave circumstances that might not constitute a canonical cause for the removal. At the time of the jubilee in
honour of his
ordination as a
priest, he addressed a letter full of affection and wise council to all the
clergy. By a recent
Decree (18 Nov., 1910), the
clergy have been barred from the temporal administration of social organizations, which was often a cause of grave difficulties.
The
pope has at heart above all things the purity of the
faith. On various occasions, as in the
Encyclical regarding the centenary of
Saint Gregory the Great,
Pius X had pointed out the dangers ofcertain new
theological methods, which, based upon
Agnosticism and upon Immanentism, necessarilydivest the
doctrine of the
faith of its teachings of objective, absolute, and immutable
truth, and all the more, when those methods are associated with subversive criticism of the
Holy Scripture and of the origins of
Christianity. Wherefore, in 1907, he caused the publication of the
Decree "Lamentabili" (called also the Syllabus of
Pius X), in which sixty-five propositions are condemned. The greater number of these propositions concern the
Holy Scripture, their inspiration, and the
doctrine of
Jesusand of the Apostles, while others relate to
dogma, the
sacraments, and the primacy of the
Bishop of Rome. Soon after that, on 8 Sept., 1907, there appeared the famous
Encyclical "Pascendi", which expounds and condemns the system of
Modernism. It points out the danger of
Modernism in relation tophilosophy,
apologetics,
exegesis, history, liturgy, and discipline, and shows the contradiction between that innovation and the ancient
faith; and, finally, it establishes rules by which to combat efficiently the pernicious doctrines in question. Among the means suggested mention should be made of the establishment of an official body of "censors" of books and the creation of a "Committee of Vigilance".
Subsequently, by the Motu Proprio "Sacrorum Antistitum",
Pius X called attention to the injunctions of the
Encyclical and also to the provisions that had already been established under
Leo XIII on preaching, and proscribed that all those who exercised the holy ministry or who taught in
ecclesiasticalinstitutions, as well as canons, the superiors of the
regular clergy, and those serving in
ecclesiasticalbureaux should take an
oath, binding themselves to reject the
errors that are denounced in the
Encyclical or in the
Decree "Lamentabili".
Pius X reverted to this vital subject on other occasions, especially in those Encyclicals that were written in commemoration of
St. Anselm (21 April, 1909) and of
St. Charles Borromeo (23 June, 1910), in the latter of which
Reformist Modernism was especially condemned. As the study of the
Bible is both the most important and the most dangerous study in
theology,
Pius X wished to found at
Rome a centre for these studies, to give assurance at once of unquestioned
orthodoxy and scientific worth; and so, with the assistance of the whole
Catholic world, there was established at
Rome the Biblical Institute, under the direction of the
Jesuits.
A need that had been felt for a long time was that of the codification of the Canon Law, and with a view to effecting it,
Pius X, on 19 March, 1904, created a special congregation of
cardinals, of which Mgr Gasparri, now a
cardinal, became the secretary. The most eminent authorities on canon law, throughout the world, are collaborating in the formation of the new code, some of the provisions of which have already been published, as, for example, that modifying the
law of the
Council of Trent on
secret marriages, the new rules for
diocesan relations and for episcopal visits
ad limina, and the new organization of the
Roman Curia (Constitution "Sapienti Consilio", 29 June, 1908). Prior to that time, the Congregations for Relics and Indulgences and of Discipline had been suppressed, while the Secretariate of Briefs had been united to the Secretariate of State. The characteristic of the new rule is the complete separation of the judicial from the administrative; while the functions of the various bureaux have been more precisely determined, and their work more equalized. The offices of the
Curiaare divided into Tribunals (3), Congregations (11), and Offices (5). With regard to the first, the Tribunal of the Signature (consisting of
cardinals only) and that of the
Rota were revived; to the Tribunal of the Penitentiary were left only the cases of the internal forum (conscience). TheCongregations remained almost as they were at first, with the exceptions that a special section was added to that of the Holy Office of the
Inquisition, for
indulgences; the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars received the name of Congregation of the Religious, and has to deal only with the affairs ofreligious congregations, while the affairs of the
secular clergy are to be referred to the Congregationof the Consistory or of that of the Council; from the latter were taken the matrimonial cases, which are now sent to the tribunals or to the newly-created Congregation of the Sacraments. TheCongregation of the Consistory has increased greatly in importance, since it has to decide questions of competence between the various other Congregations. The
Congregation of Propaganda lost much of its territory in
Europe and in America, where religious conditions have become regular. At the same time were published the rules and regulations for employees and those for the various bureaux. Another recent Constitution relates to the
suburbicarian sees.
Leo XIII brought the social question within the range of
ecclesiastical activity,
Pius X, also, wishes the
Church to co-operate, or rather to play a leading part in the solution of the social question; his views on this subject were formulated in a syllabus of nineteen propositions, taken from differentEncyclicals and other Acts of
Leo XIII, and published in a Motu Proprio (18 Dec., 1903), especially for the guidance of
Italy, where the social question was a thorny one at the beginning of his pontificate. He sought especially to repress certain tendencies leaning towards Socialism and promoting a spirit of insubordination to
ecclesiastical authority. As a result of ever increasing divergences, the "Opera die Congressi", the great association of the
Catholics of
Italy, was dissolved. At once, however, the
Encyclical "Il fermo proposito" (11 June, 1905) brought about the formation of a new organization consisting of three great unions, the Popolare, the Economica, and the Elettorale. The firmness of
PiusX obtained the elimination of, at least, the most quarrelsome elements, making it possible now for
Catholic social action to prosper, although some friction still remains. The desire of
Pius X is for theeconomical work to be avowedly
Catholic, as he expressed it in a memorable letter to Count Medolago-Albani. In
France, also, the Sillon, after promising well, had taken a turn that was little reassuring to
orthodoxy; and dangers in this connection were made manifest in the
Encyclical "Notre charge apostolique" (15 Aug., 1910), in which the Sillonists were ordered to place their organizations under the authority of the
bishops.
In its relations with Governments, the pontificate of
Pius X has had to carry on painful struggles. In
France the
pope had inherited quarrels and menaces. The "Nobis nominavit" question was settled through the condescension of the
pope; but the matter of the appointment of
bishops proposed by the Government, the visit of the president to the King of
Italy, with the subsequent note of protestation, and the resignation of two
French bishops, which was desired by the
Holy See, became pretexts for the Government at
Paris to break off diplomatic relations with the Court of
Rome. Meanwhile the
law of Separation had been already prepared, despoiling the
Church of
France, and also prescribing for the
Church a constitution which, if not openly contrary to her nature, was at least full of danger to her.
Pius X, paying no attention to the counsels of short-sighted opportunism, firmly refused his consent to the formation of the
associations cultuelles. The separation brought some freedom to the French Church, especially in the matter of the selection of its
pastors.
Pius X, not looking for reprisals, still recognizes the French right of protectorate over
Catholics in the East. Some phrases of the
Encyclical "Editæ Sæpe", written on the occasion of the centenary of
St. Charles, were misinterpreted by
Protestants, especially in
Germany, and
Pius X made a declaration in refutation of them, without belittling the authority of his high office. At present (Dec., 1910) complications arefeared in
Spain, as, also, separation and
persecution in
Portugal;
Pius X has already taken opportune measures. The new Government of Turkey has sent an ambassador to the
Pope. The relations of the
Holy See with the republics of Latin America are good. The delegations to
Chile and to the
Argentine Republic were raised to the rank of internuntiatures, and an
Apostolic Delegate was sent to Central America.
Naturally, the solicitude of
Pius X extends to his own habitation, and he has done a great deal of work of restoration in the Vatican, for example, in the quarters of the cardinal-secretary of State, the new palace for employees, the new picture-gallery, the Specola, etc. Finally, we must not forget his generous charity in public misfortunes: during the great earthquakes of Calabria, he asked for the assistance of
Catholics throughout the world, with the result that they contributed, at the time of the last earthquake, nearly 7,000,000 francs, which served to supply the wants of those in need, and to build churches,
schools, etc. His charity was proportionately no less on the occasion of the eruption of Vesuvius, and of other disasters outside of
Italy (Portugal and
Ireland). In few years
Pius X has secured great, practical, and lasting results in the interest of
Catholic doctrine and discipline, and that in the face of great difficulties of all kinds. Even non-Catholics recognize his apostolic spirit, his strength of character, the precision of his decisions, and his pursuit of a clear and explicit programme.
