c) A FATHER TO BE OBEYED

"Solemn promises of loyalty and obedience"

On January 30 of this month, twenty-five years will have passed since Cardinal Franchi of blessed and happy memory consecrated me bishop of Piacenza (...).

The solemn promises of unlimited loyalty and obedience I made at that time to the Holy Apostolic See I here and now renew even more fervently and resolutely before Your Holiness as if I were before Jesus Christ, whose representative you are on earth.

At the feet of Your Holiness, I am pleased to open my heart, especially on this occasion.  If I stop to look at the works I have accomplished in the midst of many difficulties, I have much reason to rejoice in the Lord.  But if I descend into the secret recesses of my heart, I find much reason for remorse for so much good I have failed to do or have not done well.  Most Holy Father, I can assure you of just one thing, namely, that in all things, I had in mind only the glory of God and the good of the souls entrusted to me.  I plan to devote the little time the good God will grant me entirely to the Church, to the defense of its sacred rights, and to the work of uniting my beloved flock ever more closely with your august person.

These are my resolutions and intentions as I begin my Spiritual Exercises.  Holy Father, deign to confirm these resolutions with your blessing, with one of those blessings that rekindle, reassure, and exalt the soul.¹⁶

"Holy Father, speak and it will be our joy to obey you"

Long live our Most Holy Father Pope Pius X.

Beloved brothers and my dearest sons and daughters, rather than considering the Pope's personal qualities, we must consider the authority with which he is endowed, an authority that is supreme, universal, divine (...).  So all of us ‑- bishop, priests and people ‑- united among ourselves by the bonds of charity and forming, as it were, one sole body, must draw close to this new leader with filial love.  We  must overwhelm him with our most sincere and loving reverence.  We must tell him: Holy Father, speak and it will be our joy to obey you.  Lead us and we will docilely follow you.  Teach us and your teachings will be our constant, unchanging norm of behavior, knowing full well that you alone have words of eternal life, that he who is not with you is against Christ, and that our eternal salvation depends on our union with you.¹⁷

"We must make sure we do not scale down the greatness of the Catholic cause to the petty proportions of our private opinions"

We must make especially sure we do not scale down the greatness of the Catholic cause to the petty proportions of our private opinions.  In all matters that could cause arguments among us, we must think as the Pope thinks and judge as he judges.  Each of us must work for the cause of good, with the means and to the extent determined by the Pope in his wisdom, always working with that rectitude of intention, with that perfect union of mind and heart which alone can call down God's blessings on our labors and make them fruitful for the holy goal the Supreme Pontiff sets before us.¹⁸

"Be always united in mind, heart and spirit with the Roman Pontiff"

You are the Father, we the children.  You are the teacher, we the disciples.  You are the head, we the followers.  You are the shepherd, we the sheep.  You are the tree, we the branches.  Woe to the branch that detaches itself from the trunk!  It is like the autumn leaf that falls from the tree and instantly shrivels up (...).

Be always united in mind, heart and spirit with the Roman Pontiff since we can go to God only through Jesus Christ.  We can be united with Jesus Christ only through his Church.  We can be in the Church only if we live in communion of faith and charity with the Roman Pontiff.  Every Catholic must affirm in word and in deed, in private and in public, always and everywhere, the need for total obedience, for absolute obedience to what the Pope teaches or commands.  We must be Catholics with an open and forthright profession of our Catholic faith in its entirety,  without human regard, without reticence. ¹⁹

"He who listens to his Vicar listens to Christ

Venerable brothers, I have complete confidence in the obedience of each one of you.  For a long time I have known of your enlightened respect for, and sincere obedience to, your superiors.  If I were not so sure of your habitual sense of moderation, I would be afraid of just one thing, namely, that those who never approved the condemned teachings would flaunt their victory, while those who in some way endorsed these teachings would think they were being unjustly castigated.  There is no reason for the former to take pride in a victory: this would be foolish and unfair.  They would be blowing their trumpets over an imaginary triumph because, in this display of the truth, it was not a brilliant human mind that won the day but the truth, nay, Christ himself.  Surely only Christ wins when everybody obeys.

On the other hand, I do not understand why the others should somehow feel disgraced.  Something similar happened even to some of the most celebrated people without their being discredited because of this.  Besides, these priests of ours who in some way adhered to the teachings of Antonio Rosmini were ready to give them up at once at the slightest indication of the Church and would have already done so had the Church spoken before (...).

This being the case, there is no reason for anyone, out of arrogance and conceit, to despise or deride the others, while those who advocated the now condemned teachings should in no way feel mortified because, by renouncing the censured teachings, they have docilely accepted the judgment of the Apostolic See.

So, casting aside all animosity, all my priests should rejoice and be glad that the truth has finally been clarified.  Those who never advocated

the condemned teachings should be glad because their convictions have been properly vindicated, while the others who adhered to these teachings should be glad because they have been freed from all danger of error into which they were sliding.

Hence, there is no good reason for a true son of the Church to refuse submission.  You must all accept this decree with reverence, bending your minds in obedience to Christ, knowing, as you do, that he who listens to his Vicar listens to Christ.  Each of you must make his own the resolve of the celebrated Bishop Fenélon: "I prefer to die rather than defend or support directly or indirectly a teaching censured or condemned by the Apostolic See.  My dignity, my good name, my glory and my boast now and forever is to submit internally and externally."

We must not conjure up distinctions.  We have nothing to protect outside of a perfect obedience and humble submission of heart and word to Holy Mother Church.  When, some day, those who come after us remember this long controversy, they will recognize, to the credit of our people, that on this occasion both priests and lay people sought only one glory, only one honor, namely, that of thinking, judging, censuring, and condemning what the Apostolic See thinks, judges, censures, and condemns.²⁰