The Church celebrates the feast of Saint Pius X today. On every 21 August, a Pope is remembered for his displays of humility and charity towards those most in need, his firm desire to maintain the sound doctrine of the Church in the face of the error of modernism, and the application of important reforms.
“Catholic doctrine teaches us that the first duty of charity is not in tolerating erroneous convictions, however sincere they may be, nor in theoretical or practical indifference to error or vice in which we see our brothers plunged, but in zeal for their intellectual and moral improvement, no less than in zeal for their material well-being”, wrote Saint Pius X in his encyclical Notre Charge Apostolique.
Here we present 8 facts about the life of this holy Pope of the Church.
1. He fought against modernism
“Saint Pius X, faced with some tendencies that manifested themselves in the theological sphere at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, intervened decisively, condemning ‘modernism’, to defend the faithful from erroneous conceptions and to promote a scientific deepening of Revelation in accordance with the tradition of the Church”, said Pope Benedict XVI in this regard at the General Audience on 18 August 2010.
Pius X described modernism as the “synthesis of all heresies.” Through the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis and the decree Lamentabili Sane Exitu, he condemned 65 propositions that, he explains, undermined the traditional dogma of Christianity. Modernism, in essence, tended to renounce some traditional dogmas in order to accommodate faith in certain modern scientific theories.
2. He did miracles in life
In an audience, Pope Pius X held a paralyzed boy. The young man released himself from the Pontiff’s arms and began to run happily around the room thanks to the fact that he had healed.
On another occasion, a couple he had known when he was a bishop wrote him a letter asking for his help in curing their son with meningitis. The Pontiff responded by telling them to wait, fast and pray. Two days later the child was cured.
Also, a nun who suffered from very advanced tuberculosis asked him for his health. The Pope’s only answer was “yes”, as he placed his hands on the nun’s head. That same afternoon the doctor determined that she was completely healthy.
3. He is known as the “Pope of the Eucharist”
Benedict XVI also recalled that Saint Pius X, in his motu proprio Tra le sollecitudini, affirms that the “true Christian spirit has its first and indispensable source in active participation in the sacred mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church.”
“That is why he recommended approaching the sacraments often, favoring the daily reception of Holy Communion, well prepared, and opportunely anticipating the First Communion of children around 7 years of age, ‘when the child begins to have the use of reason’ ”, he added.
At that time the faithful received Communion very rarely. Daily or very frequent Communion was considered something extraordinary and even inappropriate.
4. For the first time, the papal dining room opened to visitors
In the 20th century, it was quite a scandal when Pope Pius X decided to stop dining alone and invited friends and acquaintances to share the table with him.
Although today we see these attitudes in Pope Francis, it was Pius X who broke the tradition of the Pontiffs eating alone.
Many years before, when he was Patriarch of Venice, he had dispensed with a large part of servants and would not tolerate anyone except his sisters preparing food for him.
5. He wrote a catechism
“Another important sphere was that of the doctrinal formation of the people of God. Already in his years as a parish priest he himself (Pius X) had drawn up a catechism and during his episcopate in Mantua he had worked so that a single, if not universal, at least an Italian catechism would be achieved”, commented Benedict XVI in 2010.
Then, he stressed that as an authentic pastor, Pope Pius X had understood that the situation of the time, among other things due to the phenomenon of emigration, “made necessary a catechism to which each faithful could refer regardless of the place and circumstances of life”.
“As Roman Pontiff, he prepared a text of Christian doctrine for the diocese of Rome, which was disseminated throughout Italy and throughout the world. This catechism, called ‘Pius X’, was for many a safe guide when it came to learning the truths of the faith, due to its simple, clear and precise language, and its expository effectiveness”, he added.
6. The drafting of the Code of Canon Law began
Until 1917, the Church had only a scattered and uncodified set of legal rules. Even the compilations made by Pius IX and Leo XIII were insufficient.
However, from the beginning of his pontificate, Pius X dedicated himself to the reorganization of the Roman Curia and later began the work of drafting the Code of Canon Law, promulgated by his successor Benedict XV.
7. He was Italian, but his parents were Polish
Saint Pius X was born on June 2, 1835 in Rome, Italy, to parents who emigrated to Italy after the Prussian occupation, where they were granted political asylum.
His father, originally from Wielkopolska (Poland), was called Jan Krawiec, a tailor who had to change his name to Giovanni Battista Sarto.
“Sarto” means “tailor” in Italy, so Giovanni chose that last name because it represented his trade. Years later, he and his wife conceived Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, whom we now know as Pope Saint Pius X.
8. He opened the Vatican to refugees and the homeless
Like Pope Francis in the 21st century, Saint Pius X created a space for people in need. In this sense, he allowed the Santa Marta hospice to be opened (next to St. Peter’s Basilica) for refugees and homeless people.