Pope St. Pius V

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(MICHELE GHISLERI).

Born at Bosco, near Alexandria,Lombardy, 17 Jan., 1504 elected 7 Jan., 1566; died 1 May, 1572. Being of a poor though noblefamily his lot would have been to follow a trade, but he was taken in by theDominicans of Voghera, where he received a goodeducation and was trained in the way of solid and austerepiety. He entered the order, wasordained in 1528, and taughttheology and philosophy for sixteen years. In the meantime he was master ofnovices and was on several occasions electedprior of different houses of his order in which he strove to develop the practice of the monastic virtues and spread the spirit of the holy founder. He himself was an example to all. Hefasted, did penance, passed long hours of the night in meditation andprayer, traveled on foot without a cloak in deep silence, or only speaking to his companions of the things ofGod. In 1556 he was madeBishop of Sutri byPaul IV. Hiszeal againstheresycaused him to be selected as inquisitor of thefaith inMilan andLombardy, and in 1557Paul IV made him acardinal and named him inquisitor general for allChristendom. In 1559 he was transferred to Mondovì, where he restored the purity offaith and discipline, gravely impaired by thewars ofPiedmont. Frequently called toRome, he displayed his unflinchingzeal in all the affairs on which he was consulted. Thus he offered an insurmountable opposition toPius IV when the latter wished to admit Ferdinand de' Medici, then only thirteen years old, into theSacred College. Again it was he who defeated the project of Maximilian II, Emperor ofGermany, to abolishecclesiastical celibacy. On the death ofPius IV, he was, despite his tears and entreaties, electedpope, to the greatjoy of the whole Church.

He began his pontificate by giving largealms to thepoor, instead of distributing his bounty at haphazard like his predecessors. As pontiff he practiced the virtues he had displayed as amonk and abishop. Hispiety was not diminished, and, in spite of the heavy labours and anxieties of his office, he made at least two meditations a day on bended knees in presence of theBlessed Sacrament. In his charity he visited thehospitals, and sat by the bedside of the sick, consoling them and preparing them to die. Hewashed the feet of thepoor, and embraced thelepers. It is related that an English nobleman was converted on seeing himkiss the feet of a beggar covered with ulcers. He was very austere and banished luxury from his court, raised the standard of morality, laboured with his intimate friend,St. Charles Borromeo, to reform theclergy,obliged hisbishops to reside in theirdioceses, and thecardinals to lead lives of simplicity andpiety. He diminishedpublic scandals by relegating prostitutes to distant quarters, and he forbadebull fights. He enforced the observance of the discipline of theCouncil of Trent, reformed theCistercians, and supported the missions of theNew World. In theBull"In Coena Domini" he proclaimed the traditional principles of theRoman Church and the supremacy of theHoly See over thecivil power.

But the great thought and the constant preoccupation of his pontificate seems to have been the struggle against theProtestants and theTurks. InGermany he supported theCatholics oppressed by theheretical princes. InFrance he encouraged the League by his counsels and with pecuniary aid. In the Low Countries he supportedSpain. InEngland, finally, heexcommunicated Elizabeth, embraced the cause ofMary Stuart, and wrote to console her inprison. In the ardour of hisfaith he did not hesitate to display severity against the dissidents whennecessary, and to give a new impulse to the activity of theInquisition, for which he has been blamed by certain historians who have exaggerated his conduct. Despite all representations on his behalf he condemned the writings ofBaius, who ended by submitting.

He worked incessantly to unite theChristian princes against the hereditary enemy, theTurks. In the first year of his pontificate he had ordered a solemn jubilee, exhorting thefaithful to penance andalmsgiving to obtain the victory fromGod. He supported the Knights of Malta, sent money for the fortification of the free towns ofItaly, furnished monthly contributions to theChristians ofHungary, and endeavoured especially to bring Maximilian, Philip II, and Charles I together for the defence ofChristendom. In 1567 for the same purpose he collected from allconvents one-tenth of their revenues. In 1570 when Solyman II attackedCyprus, threatening allChristianity in the West, he never rested till he united the forces ofVenice,Spain, and theHoly See. He sent his blessing to Don John ofAustria, the commander-in-chief of the expedition, recommending him to leave behind all soldiers ofevil life, and promising him the victory if he did so. He ordered publicprayers, and increased his own supplications toheaven. On the day of the Battle ofLepanto, 7 Oct., 1571, he was working with thecardinals, when, suddenly, interrupting his work opening the window and looking at the sky, he cried out, "A truce to business; our great task at present is to thankGod for the victory which He has just given theChristian army". He burst into tears when he heard of the victory, which dealt theTurkish power a blow from which it never recovered. In memory of this triumph he instituted for the firstSunday of October thefeast of the Rosary, and added to the Litany of Loreto the supplication "Help ofChristians". He was hoping to put an end to the power ofIslam by forming a general alliance of the Italian citiesPoland,France, and allChristianEurope, and had begun negotiations for this purpose when he died of gravel, repeating "O Lord, increase my sufferings and my patience!" He left the memory of a rare virtue and an unfailing and inflexible integrity. He wasbeatified byClement X in 1672, andcanonized byClement XI in 1712.

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