POPE SAINT PIUS V

It can be a great mark of saintliness when one is as controversial centuries after their death as they were in life, and such is the case with Pope Saint Pius V of holy memory. Like all saints, he was a simple man, holiness being a difficult but not a complicated thing. However, like many popes he was also a man who often confused and infuriated the secular rulers of the world. He pushed a number of reforms in the Church, was a major force in the "Counter-Reformation" (which was actually the one authentic reformation) and was a firm defender of doctrinal orthodoxy. He was austere, determined, un-compromising and like all good fathers was not afraid to use firm measures when needed. He was a champion of the threatened Christendom and a terror for heretics.                He was born Michele Ghislieri on January 17, 1504 and joined the zealous Dominican order as a young man. He eventually rose to become Inquisitor-General where he gained experience at dealing with the heretics who were rotting Christendom from within. When he was elected to the See of Peter on January 7, 1566 he lost none of the austere living he had as a religious. He lived in very plain surroundings, kept nothing of value himself and wore a coarse hair shirt under his papal vestments. He visited hospitals, cut spending and washed the feet of the poor every day. He was the model of humility and lived the Christian social doctrine. He also fought any hint of heresy tooth and nail and never gave an inch when anyone, no matter how powerful they might be, crossed the line of Church teaching.                St Pius V was a Catholic reformer in the true sense. The Council of Trent was his guide and he quickly set about putting the Church in order and stamping out the remnants of Renaissance worldliness that had creeped in. He put out a new catechism to help spread the true teachings of the Church and formalized the Tridentine rite of the mass which remained in use universally throughout the Latin rite until after the Second Vatican Council. He also demanded his same standards of piety which he lived by of all clergymen. Pius V saw to it that all priests had to reside in their own parishes, kept a close eye to ensure conformity among the religious orders and abolished those which had fallen prey to corruption altogether. He made full use of the Index of Forbidden Works started by Paul IV and totally wiped out all heresy in Italy.                This saintly pontiff also set an example in how to deal with the temporal sphere as well. He would not allow the power and prestige of any person sway his determination to do what was right in the eyes of God, even when many Catholic world leaders claimed he was being foolish and needlessly confrontational. The most remembered example of this came in 1570 when he excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England who had renewed the schism of her father and started persecuting Catholics. Many have claimed, not without some justification, that this only worsened conditions for English Catholics, however, it was not as though Pius V had no grounds for the excommunication, in fact Pope Paul IV had already declared that Elizabeth I could not succeed to the throne on the grounds that she was not of legitimate birth.                 However, perhaps his greatest temporal victory as Pope came with his formation of the Holy League with Spain and Venice to combat the threat of Turkish invasion. In fact, Pius V hoped for nothing less than the eventual liberation of Constantinople. He called on the faithful to pray the rosary for the victory of the Christian forces and at the stunning battle of Lepanto the Turkish fleet was destroyed by the Holy League forces under Don John of Austria. The Pope made the day the Feast of Our Lady of Victory to give thanks to the Blessed Mother for her intercession. The Pope continued his policy of strict interpretation of doctrine and devout living until his death on May 1, 1572. He was canonized in 1712 by Pope Clement XI.