The Canonization of Pope St Pius X by Pope Pius XII

As part of my ongoing series of posts about St Pius X, whose feast day we celebrated yesterday in the traditional liturgical calendar of the Universal Church, I would like to highlight the importance which Pius XII himself gave to the canonization of Pius X, the arch-nemesis of modernists, the first pontiff to be canonized since Pius V. Imagine - three saintly popes in a row bearing the name of Pius (St Pius I of course was also a saint)! This seems indeed to be a blessed name among pontiffs. Will the next great pontiff by Pope Pius XIII? I sometimes wonder! During the year 1954, Pope Pius XII was ill with an intestinal illness which gave him severe bouts of hiccups, indeed he had been very frail and ill during a great part of the year. Despite this, he still managed to occupy himself with the arduous tasks of the day to day work of the Sovereign Pontiff, and Pius XII was sometimes so frail as if to appear that his spirit indeed was making up for what his physical strength was lacking. We cannot doubt that the Holy Ghost must have been greatly fortifying the Holy Father during this difficult time with His abundant graces.

No doubt one of the major reasons Pius XII felt an urgent need, and was an ardent promoter for raising Pius X to the glory of the altars was the menace of modernism - as St Pius X described it, "the synthesis of all heresies" - threatening the Church. Thus, through the canonization, the anti-modernist teachings of Pius X would thus in essence be given an "official" stamp of approval from the Holy Father, for all perpetuity, so that no modernist heretic that has come since has been, or ever will be able to, negate these teachings without separating himself from the orthodoxy proposed by the Church through the official, indeed infallible act of a canonization. Indeed, Pius XII is said to have considered this canonization to be one of the most important acts of his pontificate. Hence, the fact that the Holy Father was so adamant in performing this canonization despite his ill health - even if it should be the last public act of his life! - demonstrates the heroic charity of the Holy Father for the souls under his care, and those of later generations, by protecting them against the pernicious errors of modernism and religious indifferentism.

Without further ado, I provide below an account of the events surrounding the canonization of Pius X on May 29, 1954, from an article in the "Angelus" publication:

"In May, Pius XII was a little better; but barely. Still, he was utterly determined to perform a most arduous two-day ceremony in which were combined love and duty. It was an act he felt to be one of the most important of his Pontificate: the canonization of Saint Pius X.

 

The saintly Pope had died forty years before, just as the guns of August, 1914 were overwhelming Europe. And a young Msgr. Eugenio Pacelli, working under Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val, the Papal Secretary of State, had caught the eye of the saintly Pontiff. In fact, when the Catholic University of America in 1911 invited Pacelli to come to Washington, D.C. to teach in the Chair of Roman Law, Pacelli was only 35 years old. Both the Pope and his close friend, the Cardinal-Secretary of State, said they could not spare him.

 

Indeed, as July turned to that terrible August of 1914, St. Pius X received in audience, the Ambassador of the Austro-Hungarian Empire who wanted the Pope to bless his country's armies, in which there were so many Catholics, in the coming struggle. Standing on either side of the Papal throne were Cardinal Merry del Val and Msgr. Pacelli. Pius X had clearly prophesied a general European war just the year before, saying it would break out in 1914. And now this! The saintly Pontiff was frail at 79, but he came to sudden life at the Ambassador's suggestion. His knuckles turned white, his blue eyes blazed, his voice resounded throughout the Hall of Audiences: "I bless peace; not war!" Then he arose and tottered out of the hall on Msgr. Pacelli's arm. It was something Pius XII never forgot. Just three weeks later, St. Pius X died, on August 20th, 1914 in the odor of sanctity.

 

The life of the peasant Pope had been rigorously examined. When his coffin was opened in 1944, his body was found to be incorrupt. He was beatified by Pius XII in 1951. His two miracles of healing had been attested, and the conclusion had been affirmed that Pius X was indeed worthy of being canonized. Pius XII had determined that now was the time to canonize one who had always considered himself "unworthy".

 

The Pope's doctor was horrified! How could his patient possibly find the superhuman strength to go through two days of such arduous ceremony and with the heavy Tiara on his head? But a resolute Pius XII could not be dissuaded. Even if it were the last act of his life, this was something he must do! And since it was still worth the doing, God would give him the strength.

 

Pope Pius XII canonized St. Pius X on May 29, 1954.

The great day came: May 29, 1954. The ceremony had to be held in St. Peter's Square, so great was the throng. It took a full hour for the Pope just to be vested! This itself was a small miracle, as he sometimes swayed from fatigue. Surrounded by Cardinals, he prayed for some time in the Sistine Chapel. According to ritual, he was twice asked by Amleto Cardinal Cicognani to declare Pius X a saint. He made no reply, but intoned the Ave Maria Stella.

 

Now the Pope mounted the sedia gestatoria, and was carried in procession through the great throng in St. Peter's Square. Ahead of him were hundreds of prelates; from simple monks and priests, to cardinals. Then came the Swiss Guards, swords flashing in the brilliant sunlight, followed by the Noble Guard in golden helmets.

 

As the Pope reached the basilica's high door, Cardinal Cicognani asked a third time that Pius X be declared a saint. And this time Pius XII indicated, "Yes". The Pope was then enthroned on the terrace before the central door of St. Peter's.

Pius XII never talked about the stress he endured during that long ceremony, or the faintness that at times threatened to overcome him. His doctor, close at hand, had to give him restoratives on occasion. But the weak Pope's voice was clear and resonant as he sang Oremus, and read the decree of canonization. And he sounded no less full-throated later, when he praised St. Pius X in his panegyric.

 

Day two was equally arduous and impressive! The Mass of Canonization was celebrated inside the basilica. St. Peter's was filled to capacity; 100,000 people. And again, the frail and very ill Pope took full part in the ceremony. Who could have guessed how ill he was? For in his glittering vestments he seemed as strong as ever; remaining erect with the Triple Crown on his head.

At the end, the silver trumpets sounded the signal for departure. The bearers turned, and Pius XII gave a final blessing to the vast throng. With the help of God, and St. Pius X, the spirit had triumphed over failing flesh."

 

I will end by providing a video with some interesting images from the canonization ceremony. How glorious Catholicism during Pius XII's reign appears upon viewing such videos of his pontificate!