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Pope Benedict dies at 95

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Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)

2022-12-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

By: Angel Lopez

Published: 2010-07-01

Keywords: Biography, Catholicism, Popes, Abortion

Pope Pius IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, marked his contribution to the abortion debate by removing the distinction between an “animated” and “unanimated” fetus from Catholic doctrine, and established the edict that a human should be protected starting from the moment of conception onward. This proclamation made abortion at any time of gestation punishable by excommunication. Pope Pius IX’s decision became Canon Law of the Catholic Church.

Mastai-Ferretti was born on 13 May 1792 in Senigallia, Italy. He was the last of nine children born to Caterina Solazzi and Count Girolamo Mastai-Ferretti. His family was part of the local nobility, and though far from rich, they had a prominent role in the Papal States. Due to the waging wars in the Papal States, Mastai-Ferretti’s mother provided him with his early childhood education. Since his mother was devoted to Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mastai-Ferretti partook in many of his mother’s daily venerations of her. In 1803, he was sent to Saint Michael’s School in Volterra. This school was run by Scolopi Fathers and was known for instilling the veneration of Mary into its students. In October of 1809, Mastai-Ferretti’s studies at the college of Volterra ended due to several epileptic seizures. He was forced to leave his studies and returned home since the priests of St. Michael were in no position to take responsibility for his care.

To continue his higher education, Mastai-Ferretti moved to Rome to live with his uncle; continual epileptic attacks, however, ended his studies in 1812. In 1815, epileptic attacks once again prevented him from participating in society, this time in the Pope’s Noble Guard. The following year Mastai-Ferretti decided that he would join the priesthood with the support from Pope Pius VII. In September 1818 he was enlisted as a catechist for a missionary tour to Senigallia by Monsignor Carlo Odeschalchi. After returning from this mission, Odeschalchi recommended Mastai-Ferretti to the Holy Order. He became a subdeacon in December 1818 and ascended to deacon in early 1819. On 10 April 1819, Mastai-Ferretti was ordained as a priest; he celebrated his first Mass the next day in the Church of St. Anne of Carpenters at the Tata Giovanni Institution, a local orphanage where he spent his time.

After three years as a priest at the Tata Giovanni Institution, Mastai-Ferretti departed to Chile in 1823 on a mission for the Church. He returned to Rome in 1825 and in 1827 he was ordained as Archbishop of Spoleto. During his time in Spoleto he protected the region from a group of revolutionaries, using peaceful methods. In November 1832, Pope Gregory XVI transferred him to Imola. During his reign as archbishop in both these regions, he devoted himself to fulfilling the vital needs of the people and keeping peace. His work in both these regions greatly improved his reputation and gained the admiration of Pope Gregory XVI. In 1840, Mastai-Ferretti was raised to the level of cardinal. Upon the death of Gregory XVI on 1 June 1846, Mastai-Ferretti, being a politically moderate candidate, was elected Pope on 16 June 1846. He took the name Pius IX in memory of Pius VII, who had supported him in his vocation to the priesthood.

The papacy of Pope Pius IX was full of adversity and challenges that he chose to meet head-on with reform. As a moderate Pope, he tried to find a balance between liberal and conservative tendencies. He began his reign with moderate liberal policies by granting amnesty for political crimes, gave freedom to the press, and refused to wage war even when revolution loomed. He appointed many liberal individuals to high posts in the church. Pius IX also sympathized with supporters of an Italian state. However, his conservative tendencies became apparent in his first encyclical Qui pluribus, addressed on 9 November 1846, which condemned rationalism, indifferentism, and the theory of progressive revelation. His Syllabus of Errors, published in 1864, was largely based on conservative thought. In the Syllabus, he condemned what he thought were modern heresies such as religious liberalism, secularization, materialism, and rationalism. Pope Pius IX was also highly involved in reforming church doctrine. His long time devotion to Mary led to the establishment of the dogma of Immaculate Conception of Mary on 8 December 1854. On 8 December 1869, Pope Pius IX opened the Vatican Counsel in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. Before the Counsel ended 8 July 1870, Pope Pius IX established the dogma of "papal infallibility,” which states that when speaking in terms of Church doctrine, the Pope speaks the truth with certainty.

Pope Pius IX challenged the canonical tradition about the beginning of ensouled life set by Pope Gregory XIV in 1591. He believed that while it may not be known when ensoulment occurs, there was the possibility that it happens at conception. Believing it was morally safer to follow this conclusion, he thought all life should be protected from the start of conception. In 1869 he removed the labels of “aminated” fetus and “unanimated” fetus and concluded that abortions at any point of gestation were punishable by excommunication. While excommunication was used to punish those who procured abortions, it was not extended to those who used contraception.

Pope Pius IX, commonly known as Pio Nono, died on 7 February 1878. His was the longest papacy in the history of the Catholic Church, and Pope Pius IX is often considered one of the greatest popes to have ever lived. His dogma of Immaculate Conception, Vatican I, and papal infallibility were some of his most notable accomplishments. His efforts in punishing those that procured abortions at any time of gestation prevailed within the Catholic Church; excommunication for abortion became Canon Law in 1917, and later revised in 1983.

Sources

Charlesworth, Maxwell John. Religious Inventions: Four Essays. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Coppa, Frank J. Pope Pius IX: Crusader in a Secular Age. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1979.
Cummings, Owen F. Prophets, Guardians, and Saints: Shapers of Modern Catholic History. New York: Paulist Press, 2007.
Delaney, John J. and James Edward Tobin. “Pius IX.” In Dictionary of Catholic Biography, 492. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1961.
DeMarco, Daniel. “The Roman Catholic Church and Abortion: An Historical Perspective.” Homiletic and Pastoral Review. San Francisco: The Ignatius Press, San Francisco. http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3361&CFID=17765175&CFTOKEN=75926406 (Accessed October 12, 2009).
Jones, David Albert. The Soul of the Embryo: An Enquiry into the Status of the Human Embryo in the Christian Tradition. New York: Continuum, 2004.

How to cite

Lopez, Angel, "Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)". Embryo Project Encyclopedia (2010-07-01). ISSN: 1940-5030 http://embryo.asu.edu/handle/10776/2010.

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Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society. Embryo Project Encyclopedia.

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Last modified

Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - 21:40

Topic

People, Religion, Reproduction

Subject

Pius IX, Pope, 1792-1878; People

Who Was The MYSTERIOUS Nun That Saved Pope John Paul ll From Being Assassinated?

2022-12-15T11:58:00.002-05:00

Not Everyone Reads The Signs - Fr. Mark Goring Mar

2022-10-23T22:11:00.002-04:00

Simple Steps In Prayer From St. Teresa Of Avila

2022-10-14T14:00:00.002-04:00

“The sound of my lover! here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.” // Song of Songs 2:8

We celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, one of the four female Doctors of the Church, on October 15th. Teresa was instrumental during the Counter-Reformation and her treatises on prayer and the Christian life remain one of the greatest treasures in Christian spirituality.

So what does Saint Teresa say about prayer? A lot, of course, but it boils down to a handful of simple tenets. We will look at just a few today. Perhaps you find prayer difficult in this season and you’re not sure how to begin or reconnect with the Creator.

If you’ve been struggling with prayer, start with this advice from Saint Teresa of Avila:

Pay attention // Saint Teresa warns against mindless prayer. She insists that attention on the Beloved is necessary for productive prayer. Teresa definitely understands the distractions we endure as humans and speaks to those as well, but she encourages us to always bring our minds back to the Lord. How can we draw our attention to Him again and again today?
Treat Him with intimacy // Saint Teresa emphasized true intimacy with Jesus in prayer. She spoke to Him as a dearest friend, a spouse, and shared that level of commitment and communion with Him. She spoke with Him about everything, knowing that He cares about the smallest details of our lives. How can we bring everything to Jesus, even what we deem silly or inconsequential?
Be authentic // To this end, Saint Teresa was always authentic with Our Lord. She held nothing back. Part of the reason she was able to reach such heights of mysticism was because she was willing to be vulnerable and allow the Lord into every part of her heart. She was honest with Him and faithful to Him no matter the cost. How can we be more honest in prayer?

Saint Teresa gives us a wonderful guide to deeper intimacy with God in prayer. It starts small and simple. Let’s choose one of the tips above to focus on and watch how the Holy Spirit moves!

The Boy Who Jesus Called "Warrior Of Light"

2022-10-08T18:52:00.001-04:00

The Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2022-08-22T10:04:00.003-04:00

By: Dan Lynch

August 22nd is the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, (To the Queen of Heaven) Pope Pius XII wrote, “The Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation.”

Our Lady of America identified herself to Sister Mildred, the mystic, and said, “I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land.” She appeared as our Queen wearing her crown, manifesting her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart and holding out to us the lily of purity.

On September 26, 1956, Our Lady appeared to Sister Mildred and called her children in America to dedicate their lives to her purity. She said:

My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children in America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son.

All of these symptoms of our Culture of Death arise from worshiping the idol of “choice.” As the United States Supreme Court wrote, fundamental rights “extend to certain personal choices central to individual dignity and autonomy, including intimate choices defining personal identity and beliefs.” This is bizarre and abstract language that is the basis for legalizing all sexual acts outside of God’s design and the killing of the unborn children that result from them. According to God’s design, sexual acts are reserved for a man and a woman, husband and wife, in a marriage in which the acts unite them and are open to the reception of new life.

The Court’s bizarre language is the basis for its inventions of these new false fundamental rights, all or any of which people are now free to choose. So, what was always evil, is now good. However, as the prophet Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20).

So, what are we to do?

May we turn to Our Lady of America, our Queen, may we dedicate ourselves to her purity and practice her devotion; may America be converted and may Tobit’s prophecy be fulfilled in our time by our Culture of Death’s abandonment of “their idols which have deceitfully led them into error.” (Tobit 14:6).

Visit our website to learn how to practice the devotion to Our Lady of America, to wear her medal of protection and how to host Visitations of her image with holy hours of prayer to obtain her promised purity, peace and protection!

May we speak the truth in love to our friends and family about same-sex attraction and same-sex false marriages and act without unjust discrimination and pray for those in same-sex relationships and their friends and families who support their immoral choices because of false love. It is not true love to support anyone in immorality. We all want everyone to love, to be loved and to be in loving relationships, but it must be according to God’s design. Those with same-sex attraction may truly love others without engaging in immoral sexual acts outside of God’s design.

Our Lady of America revealed her medal of protection with the ejaculation, “By thy holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil.” The darkness that is enveloping our country is covering the light of the Christian principles upon which it was founded. Our Lady is the River of Light who can dispel this darkness. “There is hope for your future, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:17).

Saint Monica Novena Prayer August 18-26

2022-08-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Same prayer said each day

Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your own son.

(Mention your intentions here)

With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in God’s goodness and mercy.

Above all, dear Saint Monica, pray for me that I may, like your son, turn from my sin and become a great saint for the glory of God.
St. Monica is the Patron Saint of…
Alcoholics
Married women
Mothers
Wives
Difficult Marriages

Powerful Message from Heaven

2022-07-06T10:04:00.005-04:00

Fr. Alar - Mary in the USA

2022-07-05T07:08:00.006-04:00

Pope's Russia consecration: Prophecy and controversy

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The Apostolate of the Returning King - New Messages from Anne, a Lay Apostle

2022-02-14T16:23:00.003-05:00

Anne has received five new locutions which will be sent out over the next

five days. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Dear Apostles of the Returning King and Friends,

Anne has just recorded five new locutions from Jesus. The* first *new

locution is below. As always, we are privileged to receive these locutions

and are called to receive them with the greatest of reverence. Please help

to circulate these messages widely.

We will send out one each day for five days.

God bless,

Fr. Darragh Connolly

Chaplain to The Apostolate of the Returning King

*1 of 5 January 31, 2022 Jesus*

*There are times when Heaven must protect mankind. There comes a time now

when Heaven seeks to assist humanity. Freedom provides a powerful incentive

and destination for human beings, but they must also comprehend conditions

where they become enslaved. Circumstances on Earth provide ample

opportunity for human enslavement in the spiritual domain. A direct attack

against a given religion clearly illustrates one type of enslavement. A

more subtle and insidious attack against the Spirit and against all

religion comes from the decision to insert humanly created thinking in the

space where people locate and access the spiritual in their minds and

hearts.*

*When the thinking of a false god is inserted in the space established for

me in each person, that person no longer craves me authentically. People

are prompted to experience emotion that is lower than the Spirit, and yet

they are brought to believe that they are experiencing higher thinking

through adherence to pre-determined human schools of thought. These schools

of thought are constructed for all and do not prompt people to develop as

individuals. The goal of these thoughts is control. The goal is destruction

of the unique relationship between God and each person in their

individually created being.*

*When you know God, you know that God desires freedom for his people. In

many circumstances people are enslaved physically, in prisons or by

individuals who attempt to destroy their spirit. When a person is connected

to me, in their mind and heart, the opposite situation often occurs. People

become freer and more limitless in their thinking. Their human

circumstances become incidental to their spiritual circumstances, and

together we advance into the highest thoughts and the most beautiful

contemplation. They cannot be controlled because their freedom is secured

in a place inaccessible to even the cruelest jailer. They cannot be used,

either, for the purposes of domination over other people. Their witness,

when they are released from prison, provides a window into what is possible

for all humanity via relationship with me.*

*Questioning oppressors is a divinely prompted instinct. Mankind develops

through such questioning. Mankind rises above envy and limited thought

through such questioning. Mankind is inspired to action through such

questioning. But what will happen if this questioning and the ability to

connect with me is deadened? What if it is replaced by humanly constructed

programs of thought designed to enslave not one group, but all groups?

Where is the hope on Earth? Where can I make my wishes known and through

whom can I send my intervention?*

*Darkness on Earth takes place when divine thought is deadened. This will

be the great darkness. The light that comes through each individual

relationship with me is being extinguished, one by one, through humanly

constructed schools of limited thought. I desire that my children protect

themselves.*

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*Direction for Our Times (DFOT) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization

dedicated to spreading God's messages as revealed in the Volumes.*

*Please visit our website at: www.directionforourtimes.org

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