Pope St Pius V was born Antonio Ghislieri in January 1504. When he was 14 years old he entered the Dominican order and took the name Michele. He was ordained a priest at Genoa in 1528. He was later elected to the commissariat of the Holy Office in Rome. Along with being appointed a cardinal he was given the honour of “supreme inquisitorship”. He was later dismissed by Pope Pius IV as he was opposed to his pontificate.
Following the Pope’s death, Michele was elected to the papal throne on January 8 1566 and enthroned on his 62nd birthday. He chose the name Pius.
Pius V focused on restoring morality to Rome. He reduced the cost of the papal court, compelled residence among the clergy, expelled prostitutes and cultivated a greater respect for the liturgy.
In accordance with the Council of Trent, he standardised the Mass and published the 1570 edition of the Roman Missal. According to Katherine Rinne in Waters of Rome, Pius V ordered the construction of public works to improve the water supply and sewer system of Rome.
He took a firm stand against Protestantism and opposed the Hugenots in France, He supported Mary Queen of Scots and issued Regnans in Excelsis in 1570 which declared Elizabeth I a heretic and released her subjects from allegiance to her.
Pius V arranged the forming of the Holy League against the Islamic Turks, resulting in the winning of the Battle of Lepanto in October 1571 by the combined fleet under Don John of Austria. It was attested to at his canonisation that he miraculously knew when the battle was over, despite being in Rome at the time
Pope Pius died in 1572 of gravel (kidney stones) and was buried in the chapel of St Andrea, close to the tomb of Pope Pius III, in the Vatican.
Pope Sixtus V later built a monument in the chapel of Santissimo Sacramento in the Liberian basilica. His remains were transferred there
on January 9 1588.
Pope Pius was beatified by Pope Clement X in the year 1672 and was later canonised by Pope Clement XI in May 1712.
COMMENT POLICY
The Catholic Herald comment guidelines At The Catholic Herald we want our articles to provoke spirited and lively debate. We also want to ensure the discussions hosted on our website are carried out in civil terms. All commenters are therefore politely asked to ensure that their posts respond directly to points raised in the particular article or by fellow contributors, and that all responses are respectful. We implement a strict moderation policy and reserve the right to delete comments that we believe contravene our guidelines. Here are a few key things to bear in mind when commenting…
•Do not make personal attacks on writers or fellow commenters – respond only to their arguments. •Comments that are deemed offensive, aggressive or off topic will be deleted. •Unsubstantiated claims and accusations about individuals or organisations will be deleted. •Keep comments concise. Comments of great length may be deleted. •We try to vet every comment, however if you would like to alert us to a particular posting please use the ‘Report’ button. Thank you for your co-operation, The Catholic Herald editorial team
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.