Posted on 03/15/2013 9:32:59 AM PDT by marshmallow
Pope Francis praying at the tomb of Pope St Pius V
The first thing this morning Pope Francis went secretly to pray at the basilica church of St Mary Major in Rome. It is a custom for a new pope to go to this great church to pray, but for Pope Francis it was the first thing on his agenda. While he was there he made it a point to pray at the tomb of Pope St Pius V. Is this significant? Does it matter? If it is significant what does it signify?
First of all, it is significant. Popes are aware of the historic nature of their office. They know that the papacy is one. All the popes exercise the same ministry and they all complement one another–even the wicked ones in their way fulfilled the divine providence. Furthermore, the Popes know their actions and words are significant. This is why they carefully choose their papal name. Benedict XVI chose his name for sound and significant reasons. Francis chose his name for sound and significant reasons. During his papacy, Benedict paid two very significant visits to the tomb of Pope St. Celestine V – the pope who decided that a pope could abdicate, and the only one who did abdicate for the good of the church. Benedict then follows his example and abdicates for the good of the church.
The very first thing Francis does is go to St Mary Major to pray at the tomb of Pius V.
So who was Pope St Pius V? He was a reforming pope who reigned from 1566- 1572. He cleaned up the curia, excommunicated heretical bishops, cleaned up the immorality in the church and swept the church clean– paving the way for the great surge in the church....
Uh, apparently not THAT secretly.
From Wikipedia - He started cleaning up the Catholic church in response to the Protestant Reformation.
Pius V (17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church.[1] He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman rite within the Latin Church. Pius V declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church and patronized prominent sacred music composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
As a cardinal, Ghislieri gained a reputation for putting orthodoxy before personalities, prosecuting eight French bishops for heresy. He also stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year old member of his family a cardinal and subsidise a nephew from the Papal treasury.
In affairs of state, Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I of England for schism and persecutions of English Catholics during her reign. He also arranged the formation of the Holy League, an alliance of Catholic states. Although outnumbered, the Holy League famously defeated the Ottoman Empire, which had threatened to overrun Europe, at the Battle of Lepanto. This victory Pius V attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory.
WOW!!! I PRAY the Pope Francis can do what Pius V did....time to PURGE!!!!!
Yes, indeed Pope Pius V played a major role in the Counterreformation. We sometimes think of that word as meaning “against the Reformation.” True, to some extent—but it’s chief meaning, and the one that Pope Pius gave it—is that it was a reformation of the Catholic Church from the real evils that had made the Protestant revolt possible—Borgia popes, greed, corruption, and the like.
He cleaned things up, after a century of probably the worst popes and Church leaders in history.
Time to do it again. Let us pray that he succeeds as well as Pius V did.
I knew Pope Francis was a Jesuit (obviously) but I had no idea that he might be leaning toward a replication of such events. I hope it is so. Certainly on the Protestant side we need some house cleaning -- of course, the Holy Father cannot help there. But the Catholic Church has received a lot of bad publicity. If Pope Francis can help that get better, than we all benefit.
Very interesting and significant. It seems that he intends to clean house.
Is “clandestine” a better choice of words? No-one knew he had done it until after he had left.
WOW!! Pope Francis is Catholic?
Who knew?
His real task will be to stand for the Truth. In that regard we must pray for him every day. We must be his biggest defenders.
Papa Frank is a very special man.
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