Pius X, Saint (1835-1914), was elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 1903. Pius was theologically conservative. In 1907, he issued an encyclical (letter to the entire church) and other statements condemning Modernism. Modernism was a general trend to adopt new theological methods and to apply historical criticism to the Scriptures. Pius had an important impact on Catholic spiritual life. He encouraged frequent reception of the Eucharist and the use of the Gregorian chant in the liturgy. He also admitted children of the age of reason to Communion. The age of reason describes the age at which children are thought to develop a moral conscience, typically about the age of 7.
Pius was born on June 2, 1835, in Riese, Italy, near Treviso. His given and family name was Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto. He was ordained a priest in 1858. In 1893, Pope Leo XIII named him patriarch of Venice and a cardinal. Pius died on Aug. 20, 1914. He was widely regarded as a saint during his lifetime. He was canonized (declared a saint) in 1954.
