Pope Francis attended Mass in St. Peter’s on Feast of St. Pius X

This is rather interesting.

According to ZENIT in Italian, the Holy Father showed up in St. Peter’s Basilica the other morning to pray at the altar and tomb of St. Pius X for his saintly predecessor’s feast. He sat down in a pew and stayed for Mass celebrated by a Monsignor in the Secretariat of State.

I used to say Mass there pretty often, in my day… with the 1962 Missal, too boot. One can dream.

Anyway, it seems he may even have received Communion at that Mass, as well. He had already said Mass that day. He told the priest after that he is devoted to St. Pius X.

Would that the Holy Father and the SSPX would, through the intercession of St. Pius and through the help of their Guardian Angels, come to a reconciliation.

Here is the Italian:

Messa in Vaticano per San Pio X. Mescolato tra i fedeli c’è anche il Papa
Francesco già dal mattino all’altare dedicato al Papa trevigiano per pregare. È quindi rimasto per la funzione celebrata da mons. Lucio Bonora, della Segreteria di Stato, tra lo stupore di fedeli e celebranti
Di Redazione
Città del Vaticano, 22 Agosto 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Hanno ricevuto una sorpresa speciale i fedeli che ieri mattina hanno preso parte alla celebrazione eucaristica all’altare di San Pio X, nella Basilica di San Pietro, in occasione della festa del Pontefice trevigiano. Seduto tra i banchi, alla Messa presieduta da mons. Lucio Bonora, impiegato in Segreteria di Stato, c’era infatti Papa Francesco, già lì dalle prime ore del mattino all’altare per una preghiera privata.
Quando è iniziata la funzione il Santo Padre si è quindi fermato per prendervi parte, ricevendo l’abbraccio di pace e la comunione da mons. Bonora, dopo essersi messo in fila tra i fedeli che si accostavano all’Eucaristia. Ai fedeli che intanto erano accorsi in gran numero alla Cappella, il celebrante ha chiesto di affidare a San Pio X tutte le necessità delle proprie famiglie e della Chiesa, non dimenticando di pregare per l’attuale Pontefice.
Bergoglio stesso, al termine della celebrazione ha confidato a Bonora di aver pregato in modo particolare per i catechisti, visto che, in Argentina, San Pio X, è conosciuto come il “Papa del catechismo”, il patrono di tutti i catechisti. Quando Bergoglio era arcivescovo di Buenos Aires, infatti, ci teneva ad incontrare i catechisti della diocesi nella festa di Pio X. Al termine della celebrazione mons. Bonora ha ringraziato di cuore Papa Francesco, il quale gli ha detto: “Ero venuto per una preghiera mia, perché avevo già celebrato la Messa presto, ma poi ti ho visto che venivi all’altare a celebrare, e allora mi sono fermato… Te l’avevo detto che sono devoto di San Pio X”.

L’Osservatore Romano has it also HERE

15_08_22_Francis_PiusX

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9 Comments

  1. The pope shows up for your Mass. Yet another advantage to offering the Holy Mass ad orientem (i.e., the priest isn’t too distracted).

  2. medievalist says:

    Not the liturgical six sixes described in an earlier post, but I’d say it’s at least a boundary.

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  4. Gerard Plourde says:

    I pray (with faith but diminishing hope because of the seminal act of disobedience of their founder) that the SSPX will return, heeding the words of St. Pius X – “we do not set above the authority of the Pope that of other persons, however learned, who dissent from the Pope, who, even though learned, are not holy, because whoever is holy cannot dissent from the Pope.”

  5. Muv says:

    My goodness, the way was cleared and he was allowed in. Whenever I have visited St. Peter’s this side altar has been in darkness, a rope barrier in place to prevent anyone approaching to sit or kneel in the benches, with the attendants quick to move on anyone who pauses for more than a few moments. Visitors flock to visit the tomb of St John Paul, directly opposite, but (in my experience) are shooed away from St Pius X’s tomb. At the very least I hope that visitors should be welcomed and encouraged to pay their respects at St Pius X’s tomb.

  6. JARay says:

    If only something positive were to come from this gesture! I pray that it does.

  7. Lori Pieper says:

    Link to the English version of the OR article:

    http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-surprises-pilgrims-in-st-peters-basil

    There’s this fascinating bit in the Zenit article: the Pope was praying at Pius X’s altar early in the morning, as he does every year on his feast day, for catechists. In Buenos Aires, he used to meet with the catechists of the diocese every year on this day, because Pius X is considered the patron saint of catechists. If I remember right, his catechism lessons as Pope were the origin of the Wednesday audiences of today.

  8. Nan says:

    How can this be? People keep saying he’s such a modernist, which is one of the nicer things they say. I don’t know if the problem is that everything we read is in translation and we’re accustomed to english-speaking popes lately? I find it distressing that many disparage Pope Francis; he’s not what people were expecting but he’s also not what people think.

    Today father talked about the homily from the Mass for the Conclave, given by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger 10 years ago.

  9. ClavesCoelorum says:

    Nan,

    He is, however, also a Jesuit. No one understands Jesuits. I know, I study with them. :P

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