Pope Francis: St. Pius X was a Pope near to people who suffer

By Devin Watkins

“Pius X was a pope who made the whole Church understand that without the Eucharist and without the assimilation of revealed truths, personal faith weakens and dies. »

Pope Francis praised his predecessor, Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914), in a preface he wrote for a new book titled “Homage to Pius

The book was written by Father Lucio Bonora, a priest in the Italian city of Treviso, birthplace of Pius X, and an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

P. Luigi Bonora, author of the book

The holy pope wept at the outbreak of World War I

In his preface released Wednesday, Pope Francis said he held the late pope in high esteem, recalling that he would meet annually with catechists of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires on his feast day, 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 Pope of Catechesis.” .

Pope Francis added that Pius X was “a gentle but strong pope, a humble and clear pope.”

St. Pius

The late pope “wept at the start of the (First) World War” and begged “the powerful to lay down their arms.”

“How close I feel to him at this tragic moment in the modern world,” Pope Francis said of Pius X.

Close to suffering humanity

He also frequently expressed his closeness to “the small, the poor, the needy, the victims of earthquakes, the disadvantaged and those who suffer from natural disasters.”

Pius

Pope Francis thanked the Father. Bonora for her years of research into the life of Pius X, saying his dedication and passion comes through in the text.

The legacy of Saint Pius

“Long live Saint Pius X, and may he live deeply in the heart of the Church today!