Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Pope St. Pius X defended the Church against the rising tide of ModernismSt. Pius X was the first pope canonized since St. Pius V in 1672.The primary aim of his pontificate Pius X announced in his first encyclical letter, viz., “to renew all things in Christ.” Here we need but allude to his decree on early and frequent reception of Holy Communion; his Motu Proprio on Church music; his encouragement of daily Bible reading and the establishment of various biblical institutes; his reorganization of the Roman ecclesiastical offices; his work on the codification of Canon Law; his incisive...

Feast of Christ the KingIn honor of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which we celebrate most solemnly today, we offer readers the following excerpts from Pope Pius XI’s magnificent Encyclical Quas Primas (Dec. 11, 1925) by which he instituted “the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be observed yearly throughout the whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October — the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints” (n. 28).Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Thy Kingdom come! Immaculate Heart of Mary, may thy triumph come!*****Venerable Brethren, Greeting...

The pope wants a worldwide ban on the death penalty and it is not hard to think of countries where the range of offences that attract it is frighteningly large. The frequency of its application is just as worrying but to state that it can never be justified is wrong. I have never defended the use or availability of capital punishment on the grounds of retribution and would echo his holiness's own phraseology in saying that no matter how serious the crime, it is wrong if its purpose is merely an eye for an eye and a tooth for a...