PIUS X. (Giuseppe Sarto), pope from Aug. 4, 19o3, to Aug. 20, 1914, was born of humble parents on June 2, 1835, at Riese in the province of Treviso, Italy, and studied at the episcopal seminaries of Treviso and Padua, being ordained priest in 1858. For 17 years he acted as parish priest at various places in Venetia until his appointment in 1875 as canon of the cathedral and superior of the seminary at Treviso. In 188o he refused the bishopric of Treviso, but accepted that of Mantua in 1884, at the command of Leo XIII. On June 12, 1893, he was created a cardinal and three days later was nominated patriarch of Venice, where his piety, simplicity and readiness to act in harmony with the Italian Government made him very popular. He succeeded Leo XIII. in his election to the papal chair on Aug. 4, 1903.
During his pontificate, in the defence of the faith, his con demnation of the 65 propositions of Modernism in 1907 will rank as a parallel to the condemnation of the 68 propositions of Molinism by Innocent XI. in 1637 or the 1o1 propositions of Jansenism condemned by Clement XI. in 1713.
Reforms of the first importance were undertaken—the codifica tion of canon law; the protection of the liberty of the conclave by the abolition of the exclusiva; the simplification and security of the conditions of marriage by the ne temere legislation ; the restoration of the Rota as the supreme court of appeal; the regulation of the triennial or quinquennial visits of bishops to Rome ; the legislation as to church music; and the decree as to first communion, and the encouragement of international eucha ristic congresses; the reform of the Roman breviary; the found ing of the biblical institute for the work of Scriptural research ; the regulation of studies in the seminaries; the creation of the commission for the great work of editing the true text of the Vulgate; the reconstruction of the official machinery of the Roman curia; the transfer of the English-speaking countries from the propaganda or missionary regime to the normal govern ment of the Church. To these may be added in the domain
of discipline the unflinching vindication by Pius X. of the Church's right to depose delinquent bishops, carried out even at the cost of rupture of diplomatic relations with France; an apostolic visitation rigorously carried out through the dioceses of Italy, resulting in four bishops being made to resign on account of neglect or inefficiency; a further regulation by which no one can be proposed for a bishopric unless his promotion receives the visa of the Holy Office, which means that his past life has been free from ecclesiastical censure or reproach.
The well-known personal characteristics of Pius X. were his piety, charity, deep humility, simplicity, pastoral zeal, combined with great charm of manner to all who approached him. For war he had nothing but horror and it was the shock of the outbreak of the World War that hastened his death, which took place in Rome on Aug. 20, 1914. It is said that one of his last acts was to refuse the request of the Austrian emperor to bless his cause, saying : "I do not bless war : I bless peace."