Pope from February 6, 1922 - February 10, 1939
Lived: May 31, 1857 - February 10, 1939
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Achille Ratti was born in the province of Milan, the son of a silk factory owner. He held three doctorates from “The Greg” -- the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome -- one each in theology, canon law, and philosophy. After being ordained a priest in 1879, he served as a seminary professor for a short time, then spent the next 30 years working in the Ambrosian Library in Milan (1888-1914) and the Vatican Library (1914-1918). Benedict XV assigned him as an apostolic visitor to Poland for the next four years, then as papal nuncio in Warsaw for the following three years.
Give me the scoop on Pius XI.
In an age-old conclave dilemma, the cardinals were torn between two candidates, neither of whom got the required two-thirds vote. Pope Pius XI was the compromise pick after inspiring confidence in his brother red-hats, and upon his election he became the pope to start the tradition of greeting Rome’s faithful in the open air of the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony.
In 17 years as pontiff, Pius accomplished much. He was the first sovereign leader of Vatican City after reaching an agreement with the Italian government. And on that note, he was decidedly not a Mussolini or fascist sympathizer, and in fact spoke strongly against both fascism and communism while in office. Pius canonized the “Little Flower,” St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and a stable of others including St. John Bosco, St. Bernadette, St. Thomas More, and St. John Vianney. He also elevated Sts. John of the Cross, Albertus Magnus, and Robert Bellarmine to be Doctors of the Church. Meanwhile, Pius wrestled constantly with persecutions of Catholics in Spain and Mexico, not to mention the abuses bubbling up in Germany. Pius XI died of a heart attack on February 10, 1939 and was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.
What was he known for?
Pius XI’s massive academic experience and three decades of running libraries led him to be best known as a “Teaching Pope.” He spoke eloquently on marriage in the encyclical Casti Connubii, refreshed and reminded the world of Leo XIII’s Catholic social doctrine with the 40th-anniversary Quadragesimo anno, touched on the value of Christian education in Divini Illius Magistri, and began the Church’s sojourn into ecumenism by seeking common ground with Protestant churches in the document Mortalium Animos. He wrote a lot more, if anyone’s curious. Heck, Pius even founded Vatican Radio in 1931, pushing the Church toward new ways of proclaiming the faith.
Lived: May 31, 1857 - February 10, 1939
Birth name: Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti
Achille Ratti was born in the province of Milan, the son of a silk factory owner. He held three doctorates from “The Greg” -- the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome -- one each in theology, canon law, and philosophy. After being ordained a priest in 1879, he served as a seminary professor for a short time, then spent the next 30 years working in the Ambrosian Library in Milan (1888-1914) and the Vatican Library (1914-1918). Benedict XV assigned him as an apostolic visitor to Poland for the next four years, then as papal nuncio in Warsaw for the following three years.
Give me the scoop on Pius XI.
In an age-old conclave dilemma, the cardinals were torn between two candidates, neither of whom got the required two-thirds vote. Pope Pius XI was the compromise pick after inspiring confidence in his brother red-hats, and upon his election he became the pope to start the tradition of greeting Rome’s faithful in the open air of the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony.
In 17 years as pontiff, Pius accomplished much. He was the first sovereign leader of Vatican City after reaching an agreement with the Italian government. And on that note, he was decidedly not a Mussolini or fascist sympathizer, and in fact spoke strongly against both fascism and communism while in office. Pius canonized the “Little Flower,” St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and a stable of others including St. John Bosco, St. Bernadette, St. Thomas More, and St. John Vianney. He also elevated Sts. John of the Cross, Albertus Magnus, and Robert Bellarmine to be Doctors of the Church. Meanwhile, Pius wrestled constantly with persecutions of Catholics in Spain and Mexico, not to mention the abuses bubbling up in Germany. Pius XI died of a heart attack on February 10, 1939 and was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.
What was he known for?
Pius XI’s massive academic experience and three decades of running libraries led him to be best known as a “Teaching Pope.” He spoke eloquently on marriage in the encyclical Casti Connubii, refreshed and reminded the world of Leo XIII’s Catholic social doctrine with the 40th-anniversary Quadragesimo anno, touched on the value of Christian education in Divini Illius Magistri, and began the Church’s sojourn into ecumenism by seeking common ground with Protestant churches in the document Mortalium Animos. He wrote a lot more, if anyone’s curious. Heck, Pius even founded Vatican Radio in 1931, pushing the Church toward new ways of proclaiming the faith.
"[In marriage,] the souls of the contracting parties are joined and knit together more directly and more intimately than are their bodies, and that not by any passing affection of sense of spirit, but by a deliberate and firm act of the will; and from this union of souls by God's decree, a sacred and inviolable bond arises."
Fun Fact: In his pre-pope days, Pope Pius XI was an avid mountaineer, climbing several European peaks, including the Matterhorn.
Coming Monday...Venerable Pope Pius XII
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Coming Monday...Venerable Pope Pius XII
SOURCES (and further reading)
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Pius PP. XI - http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en.html
Pope Pius XI - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI
Pope Pius XI and Ecumenism - http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/pope-pius-xi-and-ecumenism
P.S. Only seven to go!