From Leo XIII to Benedict XV

Abstract

The importance of Pius X's pontificate lies neither in his struggle against Modernism nor in his attempt at a religious revival of the Catholic spirit. In dealing with the contemporary popes we are very likely to forget that in the history of the papacy the institution has shown itself far greater than the men. Whatever the intentions and the immediate goal of the activity of a pope, his importance historically depends on this only in part, since the value of a pontificate must be judged from the higher standpoint of historical continuity in the realization of the purpose of the church. The intentions and the personal program of a pope may be in real antithesis to the natural course of the events in the life of the church, and then the importance and the historical value of such a pope cannot actually be found in what he deemed the most important part of his activity, but exactly in what seemed to him only secondary and less valuable. This criterion, however, can hardly be applied to the history of a contemporary pope, because we are inclined to judge the institutions through the personalities rather than the personalities through the institutions. The pontificate of Pius X offers a good illustration of these cases of historical misrepresentation. It was boasted at the very beginning of his pontificate that Pius X was to be a religious rather than a political pope; he himself announced that this was exactly his ideal; he outlined a program with such a basis; he worked sincerely with such a purpose.' And we believed in him; we came to discuss