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Pope Pius X

Born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto. He was the Pope of the Catholic Church from August 4, 1903, until his death on August 20, 1914.

He opposed modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine. He promoted liturgical reforms & Thomist scholastic theology. Thomism is the philosophical & theological school that arose as a legacy of the work & thought of Thomas Aquinas.

He initiated the preparation of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the 1st comprehensive & systemic work of its kind, which was ultimately announced by his successor. He’s venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.

He was born in the Austrian Empire to a poor family. He was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Confidence. His papal encyclical Ad deim illum took on a sense of renewal that was reflected in the motto of his pontificate.

He advanced the Liturgical Movement by formulating the principle of participatio actuosa (active participation of the faithful) in his motu proprio, Tra le sollecitudini (1903). He encouraged the frequent reception of Holy Communion. He lowered the age for First Communion, which would become a lasting innovation of his papacy. It was changed from 12-14 years to around 7 years.

Pius X was known for his firm demeanor & sense of poverty, reflected by his membership in the Third Order of St. Francis. He regularly gave sermons from the pulpit, a rare practice at the time.

After the 1908 Messina earthquake, he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acted. He rejected any kind of favors for his family, & his close relatives chose to remain in poverty, living near Rome. He also undertook a reform of the Roman Curia with the Apostolic Constitution Sapienti consilio in 1908. An apostolic constitution is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope. It’s 1 of several types of papal bull that can be issued from the Vatican.

After his death, a strong cult of devotion followed, with a reputation for piety & holiness. He was beatified in 1951 & canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII. A statue bearing his name stands within St. Peter’s Basilica. His birth town was renamed Riese Pio X after his death. It’s located in northeast Italy in the province of Treviso in the region of Veneto.

He was born in Riese, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, Austrian Empire, on June 2, 1835. He was the 2nd born of 10 kids of Giovanni Battista Sarto, the village postman, & Margherita Sanson. He was baptized on June 3, 1835 (1 day old). The most common (modern) age for the 1st baptism in the Catholic Church is between 6 weeks & 6 months old. In the 1800s, Catholics baptized infants within the 1st 24-48 hours.

As Pope, he rejected any kind of favors for his family: his brother stayed a postal clerk, his favorite nephew stayed on as village priest, & his 3 sisters lived together in humble circumstances in Rome.

In 1850, he received the tonsure from his parish priest. The parish priest wrote to the Cardinal of Venice to secure Sartol/Pius a scholarship to the Seminary of Padua, “where he finished his classical, philosophical & theological studies with distinction.”

On September 18, 1858, Pius was ordained a priest by Giovanni Antonio Farina, Bishop of Treviso (later canonized), & became a chaplain at Tombolo. While there, Pius expanded his knowledge of theology, studying Thomas Aquinas & Canon Law, while carrying out most of the functions of the sickly parish priest Constantini. In Tombolo, Pius’ reputation for holiness grew so much that some people called him “Don Sarto.”

After 1880, Pius taught dogmatic theology & moral theology at the seminary in Treviso. On November 10, 1884, he was appointed Bishop of Mantua by Pope Leo XIII. He was consecrated 6 days later in Rome, in the church of Sant’Apollina alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrini, by Cardinal Lucido Parocchi, assisted by Pietro Rota & by Giovanni Maria Berengo.

He was appointed to the honorary position of assistant at the pontifical throne on June 19, 1891. Pius required papal dispensation from Pope Leo XIII before episcopal consecration, as he lacked a doctorate, making him the last Pope without a doctorate until Pope Francis. An assistant to the pontifical throne was an ecclesiastical title in the Catholic Church. It was designed for prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, which stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions.

Pope Leo XIII made Pius a cardinal of the order of Cardinal priests in a secret priests in a secret meeting (consistory) on June 12, 1893. In a public meeting (consistory) on June 15, 1893, the Pope gave him his cardinal’s red hat (galero), appointed him the titular church of San Bernardo alle Terme, & appointed him Patriarch of Venice.

This created a problem as the reunified Italian government claimed the right to nominate the Patriarch. Since the previous sovereign (the Emperor of Austria) has exercised that power. The poor relations between the Roman Curia & the Italian civil government since the annexation of the Papal States in 1870 placed additional strain on the appointment. Pius was finally allowed to have the patriarchy in 1894. He was formally enthroned on November 24, 1894.

Pope Leo XIII died on July 20, 1903. At the end of the month, the conclave convened to elect his successor. Pius had 0 desire for the papacy. According to historians, the favorite was the pope’s secretary of state, Cardinal Mariano Rampolla. On the 1st ballot, Rampolla received 24 votes, a man named Gotti had 17 votes, & Pius got 5 votes. On the 2nd ballot, Rampolla had gained 5 votes, as did Pius.

The next day, it seemed that Rampolla would be elected. However, the Polish Cardinal Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko from Krakow, in the name of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, proclaimed a veto (jus exclusivae) against Rampolla’s election. Many protested in the conclave. It was even suggested to disregard the veto. Emperor Franz Joseph was also the 1 who triggered the events of WWI.

However, the 3rd vote had already begun. This resulted in no clear winner but increased support for Pius, with 21 votes. The 4th vote showed Rampolla with 30 votes & Pius with 24 votes. The following morning, the 5th vote gave Rampolla 10 votes, Gotti with 2 votes, & Pius with 50 votes. On August 4, 1903, Pius was elected to the pontificate. This marked the last known exercise of a papal veto by a Catholic monarch.

In 1904, Pope Pius X formally abolished the jus exclusivae through the constitution Commissum Nobis. Any monarch or government official who attempts to submit a veto or interfere in a papal election faces automatic excommunication (latae sententiae).

Historically, the “right” was only ever claimed by the monarchs of Spain, France, & Austria. Smaller principalities like Monaco, Liechtenstein, or Luxembourg never held or claimed this privilege. Therefore, King Felipe VI of Spain is the only current monarch whose ancestors historically used the veto. But he has no legal or ecclesiastical right to do so today.

At 1st, Pius declined the nomination, feeling unworthy. With the Cardinals asking him to reconsider, he went into solitude in the Pauline Chapel. After deep prayer, he accepted the position. Cardinal Luigi Macchi announced Pius’ election around 12:10 pm.

He took the papal name of Pius X. This was out of respect for his recent predecessors of the same name, particularly Pope Pius IX (who had fought against theological liberals & for papal supremacy). Pius X’s traditional coronation took place on the following Sunday, August 9, 1903.

Pius X beatified a total of 131 individuals & canonized 4. One of the most famous people he beatified was THE Joan of Arc in 1909. And in 1908, Pope Pius X named John Chrysostom a patron saint of preachers.

In 1913, Pope Pius X suffered a heart attack. In 1914, he fell ill on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15, 1914). He wouldn’t recover. The Pope, shortly after, received the Last Rites & eventually the disease, which he’d been suffering, extended to the bronchial tree, resulting in pneumonia that killed him.

He passed away at 1:20 pm on August 20, 1914. This was on the very day when German forces marched into Brussels. His sister, Anna, was praying at his bedside when Pius X passed away. His last act of life was to kiss the little crucifix that he’d clasped in his hands.

He was buried in a simple & unadorned tomb in the crypt below St. Peter’s Basilica. His body was laid in state on August 21 in red pontifical vestments & then interred following the Requiem Mass, following his coffin lying in state on a large catafalque in the Sistine Chapel. A catafalque is the raised platform that supports the casket, coffin, or body of a dead person.

On May 29, 1944, the body of Pius X was exhumed for inspection as part of the beatification process. During which the remains were found to be miraculously incorrupt. After the examination & the end of the apostolic process towards Pius X’s cause, Pius XII bestowed the title of Venerable Servant of God upon Pius X.

Following this, the process towards beatification began. His beatification took place on June 3, 1951. On May 29, 1954, Pius X was canonized. Pius X became the 1st Pope since Pius V (1712) to be canonized.

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I noticed this as well!

#AncientTexts depict all kinds of people, not just straight and cis ones – this college course looks at #LGBTQ sexuality and #gender in #Egypt, #Greece and #Rome

By Tina Chronopoulos
Published: September 11, 2023

Title of course:

“LGBTQ Antiquity: A View from the Mediterranean”

What prompted the idea for the course?

I study Greek and Latin literature and have noticed that ancient authors wrote about sex, #homoerotic feelings or relations, and gender more often than we assume.

A few figures from ancient Mediterranean mythology are sometimes held up as LGBTQ ancestors – such as the Greek gods #Apollo and #Zeus who both loved other men. But in a mythology course I taught in the fall of 2021, I found myself highlighting a number of other stories about same-sex attraction and gender variance beyond a strict male-female binary. For example, spells from Egypt show that there were women who tried to get other women to fall in love with them.

Students responded with such curiosity and excitement that I decided to create a stand-alone course that would focus exclusively on these topics.

What does the course explore?

The course explores literary texts from the #AncientMediterranean – including #Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Roman Italy – in which authors describe relationships that can be said to fall under the LGBTQ umbrella. We read the texts in chronological order, rather than grouped by theme or identity. This allows students to encounter the texts relatively label-free, since the words U.S. society uses to talk about gender and sexuality today – like “gay” or “transgender” – do not always align with ancient understandings.

Why is this course relevant now?

Assaults on members of the LGBTQ community, especially trans folks, are rising in the United States: both through legal means in a number of states and through physical attacks and hate crimes.

My goal is for students to take courage and hope from knowing that same-sex relationships and gender diversity have existed in various guises for millennia. In antiquity, homosexuality was not considered an identity category the way it is today, making it hard to determine if and how LGBTQ-like people were discriminated against, but they certainly were not always met with contempt. For example, the body of #Hermaphroditus, a god whom Greeks sought out for help with fertility and child care issues, combined female and male characteristics.

I also want students to connect with the past as a way to feel rooted and validated. In this, I took a cue from trans activist #LeslieFeinberg, who wrote in the 1996 book “#TransgenderWarriors,” “I couldn’t find myself in history. No one like me seemed to have ever existed.”
What’s a critical lesson from the course?

LGBTQ-like individuals have always been here, although modern conceptions of self, gender and sexuality cannot be mapped directly onto the past.

The identities we know today were unknown then: The concept of homosexuality as a distinct sexual orientation or distinct kind of behavior did not exist. For instance, elite men in ancient Athens often engaged in same-sex relationships with men alongside their marriages to women. Those who were in exclusively homoerotic relationships, however, tended to be ridiculed.

Another critical lesson is that language matters. The words we use today are often inadequate to capture how social status or age intersected with one’s gender in the ancient Mediterranean. Take the Greek word for a woman or wife, “γῠνή.” Typically, this word refers to an upper-class woman, rather than, say, one who is enslaved or a foreigner. Norms around sexual activity depended on a person’s social status, age and gender.

What materials does the course feature?

Students come into the course expecting to encounter celebrated characters such as the poet #Sappho, from the Greek island of #Lesbos, whom lesbians have regarded as an ancestor.

However, we also read less famous authors, such as #Lucian of #Samosata, a Syrian-born satirist from the second century C.E. In one of his dialogues, a sex worker tells her friend about an encounter she had with two other women, one of whom describes herself as “quite like a man.”

Not all authors are sympathetic. #JohnChrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople at the end of the fourth century C.E., vilified people who engaged in homoerotic acts or homosexual relationships as criminals, mentally ill, diseased or diabolic. Many of these views are still being promulgated by religious leaders today.

The course also explores the lives of some Byzantine saints who were seen as women before they entered a monastery or became ascetics. Yet their self-punishing practices, such as extreme fasting, transformed their bodies, and the surrounding communities started to see them as men. These stories, which aimed to uplift their audiences, serve as a reminder that cross-dressing and gender variance were not always seen as objectionable.

Read more:
https://theconversation.com/ancient-texts-depict-all-kinds-of-people-not-just-straight-and-cis-ones-this-college-course-looks-at-lgbtq-sexuality-and-gender-in-egypt-greece-and-rome-210182

#AncientRome #AncientGreece #AncientEgypt #LGBTQHistory #Histodon #AncientHistory

I noticed this as well!

#AncientTexts depict all kinds of people, not just straight and cis ones – this college course looks at #LGBTQ sexuality and #gender in #Egypt, #Greece and #Rome

By Tina Chronopoulos
Published: September 11, 2023

Title of course:

“LGBTQ Antiquity: A View from the Mediterranean”

What prompted the idea for the course?

I study Greek and Latin literature and have noticed that ancient authors wrote about sex, #homoerotic feelings or relations, and gender more often than we assume.

A few figures from ancient Mediterranean mythology are sometimes held up as LGBTQ ancestors – such as the Greek gods #Apollo and #Zeus who both loved other men. But in a mythology course I taught in the fall of 2021, I found myself highlighting a number of other stories about same-sex attraction and gender variance beyond a strict male-female binary. For example, spells from Egypt show that there were women who tried to get other women to fall in love with them.

Students responded with such curiosity and excitement that I decided to create a stand-alone course that would focus exclusively on these topics.

What does the course explore?

The course explores literary texts from the #AncientMediterranean – including #Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Roman Italy – in which authors describe relationships that can be said to fall under the LGBTQ umbrella. We read the texts in chronological order, rather than grouped by theme or identity. This allows students to encounter the texts relatively label-free, since the words U.S. society uses to talk about gender and sexuality today – like “gay” or “transgender” – do not always align with ancient understandings.

Why is this course relevant now?

Assaults on members of the LGBTQ community, especially trans folks, are rising in the United States: both through legal means in a number of states and through physical attacks and hate crimes.

My goal is for students to take courage and hope from knowing that same-sex relationships and gender diversity have existed in various guises for millennia. In antiquity, homosexuality was not considered an identity category the way it is today, making it hard to determine if and how LGBTQ-like people were discriminated against, but they certainly were not always met with contempt. For example, the body of #Hermaphroditus, a god whom Greeks sought out for help with fertility and child care issues, combined female and male characteristics.

I also want students to connect with the past as a way to feel rooted and validated. In this, I took a cue from trans activist #LeslieFeinberg, who wrote in the 1996 book “#TransgenderWarriors,” “I couldn’t find myself in history. No one like me seemed to have ever existed.”
What’s a critical lesson from the course?

LGBTQ-like individuals have always been here, although modern conceptions of self, gender and sexuality cannot be mapped directly onto the past.

The identities we know today were unknown then: The concept of homosexuality as a distinct sexual orientation or distinct kind of behavior did not exist. For instance, elite men in ancient Athens often engaged in same-sex relationships with men alongside their marriages to women. Those who were in exclusively homoerotic relationships, however, tended to be ridiculed.

Another critical lesson is that language matters. The words we use today are often inadequate to capture how social status or age intersected with one’s gender in the ancient Mediterranean. Take the Greek word for a woman or wife, “γῠνή.” Typically, this word refers to an upper-class woman, rather than, say, one who is enslaved or a foreigner. Norms around sexual activity depended on a person’s social status, age and gender.

What materials does the course feature?

Students come into the course expecting to encounter celebrated characters such as the poet #Sappho, from the Greek island of #Lesbos, whom lesbians have regarded as an ancestor.

However, we also read less famous authors, such as #Lucian of #Samosata, a Syrian-born satirist from the second century C.E. In one of his dialogues, a sex worker tells her friend about an encounter she had with two other women, one of whom describes herself as “quite like a man.”

Not all authors are sympathetic. #JohnChrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople at the end of the fourth century C.E., vilified people who engaged in homoerotic acts or homosexual relationships as criminals, mentally ill, diseased or diabolic. Many of these views are still being promulgated by religious leaders today.

The course also explores the lives of some Byzantine saints who were seen as women before they entered a monastery or became ascetics. Yet their self-punishing practices, such as extreme fasting, transformed their bodies, and the surrounding communities started to see them as men. These stories, which aimed to uplift their audiences, serve as a reminder that cross-dressing and gender variance were not always seen as objectionable.

Read more:
https://theconversation.com/ancient-texts-depict-all-kinds-of-people-not-just-straight-and-cis-ones-this-college-course-looks-at-lgbtq-sexuality-and-gender-in-egypt-greece-and-rome-210182

#AncientRome #AncientGreece #AncientEgypt #LGBTQHistory #Histodon #AncientHistory