A special day has been reserved this month to celebrate Pope St. Pius X.
June 12, the centenary of the saint’s death, has been chosen by the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences to be a study day dedicated to St. Pius X (1914-2014).
Details about the day, whose theme is “St. Pius X, a reforming pope facing the challenges of the new century,» were presented this morning in the Holy See Press Office by Fr. Bernard Ardura O. Praem., president of the pontifical committee, and by Professor Alejandro Mario Dieguez of the Vatican Secret Archive.
“During this day”, said Fr. Ardura, “we intend to highlight the principles and pastoral directions of St. Pius X who, throughout all his ministry, was essentially a pastor of souls.» He added that «all his efforts in the ecclesial and social fields were dictated by a pastoral realism, oriented towards the renewal of the Christian life of people and communities.»
Diguez said the event “will offer an overview of new historical information on this intense and crucial pontificate.»
He stated it has «been possible to recover the historical Pius X and not that of myth, the Pius X of ecclesiastical governance and reform, and not that of popular piety, recomposing the complex and fascinating personality of this pontiff.»
The professor also added that this has been made possible thanks to the publication of archive sources, with four volumes edited by the Vatican Archive, of profound and systematic research — not only on modernism but also on apostolic visits, codification and the reform of the curia — and study conferences, six over the last twenty-five years. (D.C.L.)
