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Born 2 June, 1835, at Riese, Province of Treviso,
in Venice. His parents were Giovanni Battista Sarto and 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 prefect 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 his
abnegation 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 Bishop of
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 diocesan
synod. By his attendance at the confessional, he gave the example of pastoral
zeal. The Catholic organization 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 Bernardo alle 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 Italian government refused its
exequatur, claiming the right of nomination as it had been exercised by the
Emperor 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 Apostolic Prefecture 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 better
condition 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 favoured social
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-stone
of 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 cardinals entered 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 the religious 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
ordination of 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 the interest
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 of
certain new theological methods, which, based upon Agnosticism and upon
Immanentism, necessarily divest 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 Jesus and 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 to philosophy, 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 ecclesiastical institutions, as well as canons, the
superiors of the regular clergy, and those serving in ecclesiastical bureaux
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 Curia are 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). 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 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 of religious congregations, while the affairs of
the secular 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. 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.
The Catholic hierarchy has greatly increased in
numbers during these first years of the pontificate of Pius X, in which
twenty-eight new dioceses have been created, mostly in the United States
Brazil, and the Philippine Islands; also one abbey nullius, 16 vicariates
Apostolic, and 15 prefectures Apostolic.
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 different Encyclicals 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 Pius X 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
the economical 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 are feared 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. SOURCE EWTN
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