杏MAP导航 Francis: St. Pius X was a 杏MAP导航 near to people who suffer
By Devin Watkins
“Pius X was a 杏MAP导航 who made the entire Church understand that without the Eucharist and without the assimilation of revealed truths, personal faith weakens and dies.”
杏MAP导航 Francis offered that praise of his predecessor, 杏MAP导航 St. Pius X (1903-1914), in a preface he wrote for a new book entitled “Tribute to Pius X. Contemporary Portraits”.
The book was written by Fr. Lucio Bonora, a priest from the Italian city of Treviso—the birthplace of Pius X—and an official at the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Saintly 杏MAP导航 wept at outbreak of World War I
In his preface released on Wednesday, 杏MAP导航 Francis said he holds the late 杏MAP导航 in high esteem, recalling that he would meet yearly with catechists of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires on his feastday, August 21.
“I enjoyed spending time with those dedicated to instructing children and adults in the truths of the faith,” he said, “and Pius X has always been known as the 杏MAP导航 of catechesis.”
杏MAP导航 Francis added that Pius X was “a gentle yet strong 杏MAP导航, a humble and clear 杏MAP导航.”
St. Pius X approved the creation of the Pontifical Biblical Institute run by the Jesuits in Rome, a decision which endeared him to the Jesuits, said 杏MAP导航 Francis.
The late 杏MAP导航 “wept at the onset of the [First] World War” and pleaded “with the powerful to lay down their arms.”
“How close I feel to him in this tragic moment of the modern world,” said 杏MAP导航 Francis of Pius X.
Close to suffering humanity
He also frequently expressed his closeness to “the little ones, the poor, the needy, earthquake victims, the disadvantaged, and those suffering from natural disasters.”
Piux X was “a 杏MAP导航 who was a monument to pastoral care, as defined by 杏MAP导航 St. John XXIII when he allowed Venice to venerate his mortal remains at St. Mark’s in the spring of 1959.”
杏MAP导航 Francis thanked Fr. Bonora for his years of research into the life of Pius X, saying his dedication and passion emerge in the text.
The legacy of St. Pius X, added the 杏MAP导航, belongs to the “Church of today” and to “the baptized of all ages, who seek to be faithful to the Gospel and to their pastors”.
“Long live St. Pius X, and may he live deeply in the heart of today's Church!”
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