True Catholic, true Pope, true Saint!
The Holy Death of Pope St. Pius X 110 Years Ago (1914-2024)
Off to Receive his Eternal Reward: Pope St. Pius X died Aug. 20, 1914
Today commemorates a most joyous occasion for all true Catholics: Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, better known as Pope Pius X, gave up his beautiful soul to God exactly 110 years ago today, on August 20, 1914. Despised by the world and by the Modernists, and by many a supposed “Catholic”, St. Giuseppe Sarto was eminently pleasing to His Creator. He cared not for the opinion of this world, He only cared to do the will of God. For this, he received a merciful judgment and heard from the Just Judge these words: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34).
A true Saint, dying an exemplary death: Pius X
Pius X was beatified in 1951 and declared a Saint of the Catholic Church on May 29, 1954, by Pope Pius XII. The canonization came less than 40 years after the death of the holy Pontiff, and to this day he remains the only true Catholic Pope to be officially recognized as a saint since St. Pius V in the 16th century.
To celebrate this wonderful 110th Anniversary of the passing of Pope Sarto, we are once again sharing various video clips relating to St. Pius X, his life, and his canonization:
Saint Pius X walking through the Vatican Gardens
The Canonization of Saint Pius X (Giuseppe Sarto)
In addition to these videos, we also highly recommend the Pius X Canonization Photo Collection.
Furthermore, we are happy to share this half-page snapshot of an American newspaper as it appeared on Aug. 20, 1914, regarding the sudden death of the holy Pope:
Ten years ago, for the centennial celebration, the Rorate Caeli blog published a beautiful, lengthy post on the passing of St. Pius X. Dr. Thomas Droleskey, too, published a tribute, A Century of Heavenly Help from Papa Sarto.
We also recommend a review of Fr. Vili Lehtoranta’s post on Pius X’s refutation of the erroneous idea that a Catholic can “recognize but resist” the Pope on matters of faith, morals, or discipline when he thinks it necessary. A good example of where such false resistance theology can lead is Dr. Peter Kwasniewki, who has audaciously accused the great St. Pius X of “liturgical Modernism”, called his teaching on the Papacy a “painful historical embarrassment”, denounced the holy Pope’s Breviary reform “impious” and “absurd”, and has shared a quote labeling the Supreme Pontiff an “Italian lunatic” — all, of course, in the name of ‘defending Tradition’:
On the occasion of his predecessor’s canonization, Pope Pius XII gave an important allocution to his cardinals rich in doctrine on the Papacy and the Catholic Church. This allocution was continued, as it were, in a follow-up address given later the same year:
- Pope Pius XII, Allocution Si Diligis regarding the Church’s Magisterium (May 31, 1954)
- Pope Pius XII, Allocution Magnificate Dominum regarding the Church’s Power to Rule and Sanctify (Nov. 2, 1954)
In 1919, the rumor was circulated by The New York Times that Pope Pius X may have been murdered for political reasons; however, the report on which this was based does not pass even a basic credibility test:
For those who are not aware, St. Pius X’s body was found incorrupt when his casket was opened in the 1940s as part of the beatification process. The following video contains some wonderful close-ups of the incorrupt body of Saint Sarto (in which, however, a bronze mask covers his face), though ironically being displayed in the presence of the Modernist Angelo Roncalli (“Pope St.” John XXIII):
To learn more about the great St. Pius X, his importance for the Church at a critical time in her life, his extraordinary sanctity, and his unyielding zeal for the purity of the Catholic Faith, see our Tribute to Saint Pius X, Model of Heroic Holiness, as well as the many links at the end of this post. It is abundantly clear that the religion of Pope Pius X is not the religion of “Pope” Francis.
Speaking of “Pope” Francis, he did not celebrate the centenary of the death of the Anti-Modernist St. Pius X in 2014. In his general audience of August 20, Francis did not speak one word about the anniversary of the passing of this great and glorious Pontiff, a true defender of the Faith. (Contrast that with Francis’ glowing praise of Paul VI in his audience only two weeks prior, commemorating a mere 36-year anniversary of the apostate pseudo-pope Montini.)
Some of St. Pius X’s Most Important Doctrinal Papal Documents and Addresses:
- Encyclical E Supremi – on the Restoration of All Things in Christ (1903)
- Encyclical Acerbo Nimis – on the Teaching of Christian Doctrine (1905)
- Encyclical Vehementer Nos – on Separation of Church and State (1906)
- Allocution Accogliamo Colla Più Viva Compiacenza – on Religious Neo-Reformism (1907)
- Decree Lamentabili Sane – the Syllabus of Modernist Errors (1907)
- Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis – on the Doctrine of the Modernists (1907)
- Apostolic Letter Praestantia Scripturae – on the Bible & Modernism (1907)
- Address Con Vera Soddisfazione – on Dangers to the Faith (1909)
- Encyclical Editae Saepe – on St. Charles Borromeo (1910)
- Apostolic Letter Sacrorum Antistitum – the Oath Against Modernism (1910)
- Apostolic Letter Our Apostolic Mandate – on Sillonism (1910)
Videos & Tidbits on St. Pius X:
- Gli Uomini Non Guardano Il Cielo – The only Movie ever made about Pope Pius X (Italian)
- Ecclesiastical Milestones of Pope St. Pius X – Catholic-Hierarchy.org
- Photo Collection: Saint Pius X
- Extensive Photo Collection: Pope Saint Pius X
- Book: Saint Pius X: Restorer of the Church (#CommissionLink) by Yves Chiron, with many gorgeous photos
- Book: Memories of Pope Pius X (#CommissionLink) by Cardinal Raphael Merry del Val
- Modernism’s Eternal Foe, Our Eternal Friend: St. Pius X and the Conciliar Church by Tom Droleskey
Image sources: Wikimedia Commons (Felici) / Wikimedia Commons (unknown)
Licenses: public domain / public domain
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