Pope Pius X

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(Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto).

Born 2 June, 1835, at Riese, Province ofTreviso, inVenice. Hisparents were Giovanni Battista Sarto and Margarita (née Sanson); the former, a postman, died in 1852, but Margarita lived to see her son acardinal. 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 thetonsure from theBishop ofTreviso, and was given a scholarship of theDiocese of Treviso in theseminary of Padua, where he finished his classical,philosophical, andtheological studies with distinction. He wasordained in 1858, and for nine years waschaplain at Tombolo, having to assume most of the functions ofparishpriest, as thepastor was old and an invalid. He sought to perfect hisknowledge oftheology by assiduously studying Saint Thomas and canon law; at the same time he established a nightschool 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 theDiocese of Treviso, where he restored the church, and provided for the enlargement and maintenance of thehospital by his own means, consistently with his habitual generosity to the poor; he especially distinguished himself by his abnegation during the cholera. He showed great solicitude for the religious instruction of adults. In 1875 he was made a canon of thecathedral ofTreviso, and filled several offices, among them those ofspiritual director andrector of theseminary, examiner of theclergy, andvicar-general; moreover, he made it possible for the students of the publicschools to receive religious instruction. In 1878, on the death of Bishop Zanelli, he was electedvicar-capitular. On 10 November, 1884, he was namedBishop ofMantua, then a very troublesome see, andconsecrated on 20 November. His chief care in his new position was for the formation of theclergy at theseminary, where, for several years, he himself taughtdogmatic theology, and for another yearmoral theology. He wished thedoctrine and method ofSt. Thomas to be followed, and to many of the poorer students he gave copies of the"Summa theologica"; at the same time he cultivated theGregorian Chant in company with the seminarians. The temporal administration of hissee imposed greatsacrifices upon him. In 1887 he held adiocesan synod. By his attendance at the confessional, he gave the example of pastoralzeal. TheCatholic organization ofItaly, then known as the "Opera dei Congressi", found in him azealous propagandist from the time of his ministry at Salzano.

At the secret consistory of June, 1893,Leo XIII created him acardinal under the title of San Bernardo alle Terme; and in the public consistory, three days later, he waspreconizedPatriarch ofVenice, retaining meanwhile the title of Apostolic Administrator ofMantua. Cardinal Sarto wasobliged to wait eighteen months before he was able to take possession of his new diocese, because the Italian government refused itsexequatur, claiming the right ofnomination as it had been exercised by the Emperor ofAustria. This matter was discussed with bitterness in the newspapers and in pamphlets; the Government, by way of reprisal, refused itsexequatur to the otherbishops 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 theHoly See having raised the mission of Eritrea to the rank of an Apostolic Prefecture in favour of theItalianCapuchins, the Government withdrew from its position. Its opposition had not been caused by any objection to Sarto personally. AtVenice thecardinal found a much better condition of things than he had found atMantua. There, also, he paid great attention to theseminary, where he obtained the establishment of the faculty of canon law. In 1898 he held thediocesan synod. He promoted the use of theGregorian Chant, and was a great patron of Lorenzo Perosi; he favoured social works, especially the ruralparochial banks; he discerned and energetically opposed the dangers of certain doctrines and the conduct of certainChristian-Democrats. The international Eucharistic Congress of 1897, the centenary of St. Gerard Sagredo (1900), and the blessing of thecorner-stone of the newbelfry of St. Mark's, also of the commemorativechapel of Mt. Grappa (1901), were events that left a deep impression on him and his people. Meanwhile,Leo XIII having died, thecardinals entered intoconclave and after several ballots Giuseppe Sarto was elected on 4 August by a vote of 55 out of a possible 60 votes. Hiscoronation took place on the following Sunday, 9 August, 1903.

In his firstEncyclical, 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 theChurch. Before all else his efforts were directed to the promotion ofpiety among thefaithful, and he advised all (Decr. S. Congr. Concil., 20 Dec., 1905) to receiveHoly Communion frequently and, if possible, daily, dispensing the sick from theobligation offasting to the extent of enabling them to receiveHoly Communion twice each month, and even oftener (Decr. S. Congr. Rit., 7 Dec., 1906). Finally, by theDecree"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 atRome, while he enhanced the solemnity of subsequent Eucharistic congresses by sending to themcardinallegates. The fiftieth anniversary of the proclamation of thedogma of the Immaculate Conception was an occasion of which he took advantage to enjoindevotion to Mary (Encyclical "Ad illum diem", 2 February, 1904); and the Marian Congress, together with thecoronation of the image of the Immaculate Conception in the choir of St. Peter's, was a worthy culmination of the solemnity. As a simplechaplain, abishop, and a patriarch, Giuseppe Sarto was a promoter ofsacred music; aspope, he published, 22 November, 1903, a Motu Proprio onsacred music in churches, and at the same time ordered the authenticGregorian 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 theEncyclical "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 suitableschools for the religious instruction of students of the publicschools, and even of theuniversities. He caused a newcatechism to be published for the Diocese ofRome.

Asbishop, his chief care had been for the formation of theclergy, and in harmony with this purpose, anEncyclical to the Italian episcopate (28 July, 1906) enjoined the greatest caution in theordination ofpriests, calling the attention of thebishops to the fact that there was frequently manifested among the youngerclergy a spirit of independence that was a menace toecclesiastical discipline. In the interest ofItalianseminaries, he order them to be visited by thebishops, andpromulgated a new order of studies, which had been in use for several years at the Roman Seminary. On the other hand, as thedioceses of Central and of SouthernItaly were so small that their respectiveseminaries could not prosper, Pius X established the regionalseminary which is common to thesees of a given region; and, as a consequence, many small, deficientseminaries were closed. For the more efficient guidance ofsouls, by aDecree of the Sacred Congregation of the Consistory (20 August, 1910), instructions were given concerning the removal ofparishpriests, 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 inhonour of hisordination as apriest, he addressed a letter full of affection and wise council to all theclergy. By a recentDecree (18 Nov., 1910), theclergy have been barred from the temporal administration of social organizations, which was often acause of grave difficulties.

Thepope has at heart above all things the purity of thefaith. On various occasions, as in theEncyclical regarding the centenary ofSaint Gregory the Great, Pius X had pointed out the dangers of certain newtheological methods, which, based uponAgnosticism and upon Immanentism, necessarily divest thedoctrine of thefaith of its teachings of objective, absolute, and immutabletruth, and all the more, when those methods are associated with subversive criticism of theHoly Scripture and of the origins ofChristianity. Wherefore, in 1907, he caused the publication of theDecree "Lamentabili" (called also the Syllabus of Pius X), in which sixty-five propositions are condemned. The greater number of these propositions concern theHoly Scripture, their inspiration, and thedoctrine ofJesus and of the Apostles, while others relate todogma, thesacraments, and the primacy of theBishop of Rome. Soon after that, on 8 Sept., 1907, there appeared the famousEncyclical "Pascendi", which expounds and condemns the system ofModernism. It points out the danger ofModernism in relation to philosophy,apologetics,exegesis, history, liturgy, and discipline, and shows the contradiction between that innovation and the ancientfaith; 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 theEncyclical and also to the provisions that had already been established underLeo XIII on preaching, and proscribed that all those who exercised the holy ministry or who taught inecclesiastical institutions, as well as canons, the superiors of theregularclergy, and those serving inecclesiastical bureaux should take anoath, binding themselves to reject theerrors that are denounced in theEncyclical or in theDecree "Lamentabili". Pius X reverted to this vital subject on other occasions, especially in those Encyclicals that were written in commemoration ofSt. Anselm (21 April, 1909) and ofSt. Charles Borromeo (23 June, 1910), in the latter of whichReformist Modernism was especially condemned. As the study of theBible is both the most important and the most dangerous study intheology, Pius X wished to found atRome a centre for these studies, to give assurance at once of unquestionedorthodoxy and scientific worth; and so, with the assistance of the wholeCatholic world, there was established atRome the Biblical Institute, under the direction of theJesuits.

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 ofcardinals, of which Mgr Gasparri, now acardinal, 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 thelaw of theCouncil of Trent onsecret marriages, the new rules fordiocesan relations and for episcopal visitsad limina, and the new organization of theRoman 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 theCuria are divided into Tribunals (3), Congregations (11), and Offices (5). With regard to the first, the Tribunal of the Signature (consisting ofcardinals only) and that of theRota were revived; to the Tribunal of the Penitentiary were left only the cases of the internal forum (conscience). The Congregations remained almost as they were at first, with the exceptions that a special section was added to that of the Holy Office of theInquisition, forindulgences; the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars received the name of Congregation of the Religious, and has to deal only with the affairs of religious congregations, while the affairs of thesecular clergy are to be referred to the Congregation of 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. The Congregation of the Consistory has increased greatly in importance, since it has to decide questions of competence between the various other Congregations. TheCongregation of Propaganda lost much of its territory inEurope 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 thesuburbicariansees.

TheCatholichierarchy has greatly increased in numbers during these first years of the pontificate of Pius X, in which twenty-eight newdioceses have been created, mostly in theUnited StatesBrazil, and thePhilippine Islands; also oneabbey nullius, 16vicariates Apostolic, and 15 prefectures Apostolic.

Leo XIII brought the social question within the range ofecclesiastical activity, Pius X, also, wishes theChurch 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 different Encyclicals and other Acts ofLeo XIII, and published in a Motu Proprio (18 Dec., 1903), especially for the guidance ofItaly, 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 toecclesiastical authority. As a result of ever increasing divergences, the "Opera die Congressi", the great association of theCatholics ofItaly, was dissolved. At once, however, theEncyclical "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 Pius X obtained the elimination of, at least, the most quarrelsome elements, making it possible now forCatholic social action to prosper, although some friction still remains. The desire of Pius X is for the economical work to be avowedlyCatholic, as he expressed it in a memorable letter to Count Medolago-Albani. InFrance, also, the Sillon, after promising well, had taken a turn that was little reassuring toorthodoxy; and dangers in this connection were made manifest in theEncyclical "Notre charge apostolique" (15 Aug., 1910), in which the Sillonists were ordered to place their organizations under the authority of thebishops.

In its relations with Governments, the pontificate of Pius X has had to carry on painful struggles. InFrance thepope had inherited quarrels and menaces. The "Nobis nominavit" question was settled through the condescension of thepope; but the matter of the appointment ofbishops proposed by the Government, the visit of the president to the King ofItaly, with the subsequent note of protestation, and the resignation of twoFrenchbishops, which was desired by theHoly See, became pretexts for the Government atParis to break off diplomatic relations with the Court ofRome. Meanwhile thelaw of Separation had been already prepared, despoiling theChurch ofFrance, and also prescribing for theChurch 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 theassociations cultuelles. The separation brought some freedom to the French Church, especially in the matter of the selection of itspastors. Pius X, not looking for reprisals, still recognizes the French right of protectorate overCatholics in the East. Some phrases of theEncyclical "Editæ Sæpe", written on the occasion of the centenary ofSt. Charles, were misinterpreted byProtestants, especially inGermany, and Pius X made a declaration in refutation of them, without belittling the authority of his high office. At present (Dec., 1910) complications are feared inSpain, as, also, separation andpersecution inPortugal; Pius X has already taken opportune measures. The new Government of Turkey has sent an ambassador to thePope. The relations of theHoly See with the republics of Latin America are good. The delegations toChile and to theArgentine Republic were raised to the rank of internuntiatures, and anApostolic 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 ofCatholics 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 ofItaly (Portugal andIreland). In few years Pius X has secured great, practical, and lasting results in the interest ofCatholic 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.

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