Pope Pius XII on St. Ignatius of Loyola

Source: District of Asia

Reported in Osservatore Romano, August 1, 1956. Spanish text.  This was a radio address of Pope Pius XII, broadcast primarily to an overflow congregation gathered in the Basilica of St. Ignatius, Loyola, Spain. The occasion was the four hundredth anniversary of the death of St. Ignatius, the conclusion of the "Ignatian Year."

As the finale of a great musical composition picks up and repeats in harmony all of its moods and fundamental themes, as the final chord of a symphony sums up all the feelings and emotions it contains and exalts them still more, as the last strophe of a hymn re-expresses more vibrantly the main theme, so are you gathered, beloved children, in the valley of Loyola to bring to a close the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the death of the great patriarch, St. Ignatius. You are now terminating that solemn commemoration in which We have agreed to take part not only in spirit but also in word, even as We did at the opening of the centennial and at other opportune times during the year.

The Ignatian Year

Let Our first words, then, be an act of acknowledgment and gratitude to the Giver of all that is good. A year ago today, when We wrote to Our beloved son, the General of the Society of Jesus, We certainly presumed that the centenary which We were opening would be worthy of its objective. It was also Our hope that it would be primarily spiritual in tone so as to benefit souls.

Today We can say that this goal has been achieved. The ceremonies have been reported all over the world by press, radio, and word-of mouth. There have been congresses and public and private manifestations, acts of simple piety and solemn homage. However, the predominant note in all this has been a true spirit of interior renovation. And you, beloved sons of Catholic Spain, can bear witness to this, since in your country, if We are not mistaken, the centenary has attained its two ultimate goals: the Spiritual Exercises transmitted by radio to the whole nation were most effective, and the procession of the Saint's relic to all the Spanish dioceses has been like a great national mission.

Ignatius: an embodiment of the Spanish spirit

1. It is only just that the great country of Spain should show her esteem and affection for one of her most illustrious sons, who embodies what was finest in the Spanish spirit at one of the most glorious periods of history.

Gracious and generous from early childhood, St. Ignatius developed into a strong, prudent, and valiant youth who always kept his aspirations at the highest level, even in his deviations. As a man, he was courageous and long-suffering, possessed of a great heart and a spirit naturally inclined to great things, and above all he was a Saint, whose heart was big enough to encompass the entire world. Ignatius embodied, without realizing it, the most excellent qualities and virtues of his people and of his time.

It has been very aptly stated that he is "the most vivid personification of the Spanish spirit in the golden age." By his innate nobility, his magnanimity, and his capacity for performing the fundamental and essential, he surpassed even the barriers of time and space without ever losing that rich humanity which made him keenly sensitive to all the problems and difficulties of his country and his time in the great general picture of the history of the Church and of the world.

The wonders of the Spanish mystics of his time, the greatness of the theologians of the period, the enchantment found in the immortal pages of the writers who are still such fine models of language and style, the qualities so many government officials, political figures, and diplomats knew how to utilize for the service of that empire on which the sun never set all this we see reflected in the soul of Ignatius, in his service of a higher ideal, without thereby losing any of its proper characteristics.

It is fitting, then, that present day Spain, the rightful heiress of Spanish history, acclaim at this time one of her sons who has honored her most.

Ignatius: a servant of Christ's Spouse

2. Beloved children, Spanish Catholics, We see with the eyes of the spirit that you are united today in person, and even more in spirit, with many of Our children from other nations as if to proclaim that Ignatius is not only a credit to his own country, but in a much truer sense a credit to humanity and to the Church.

Saints are always a credit to their holy Mother, the Church, particularly at times of very special need for which they are fashioned accordingly. Among them none outranks Ignatius. He based his sanctity above all on the purest love of God, from Whom "all good and all gifts come." (Spiritual Exercises, n. 287) Then he turned this love into unconditional service to the "supreme commander of the good, who is Christ, our Lord." (Ibid., n. 138) Finally, he rendered this service in perfect submission and obedience "to the true Spouse of Christ, our Lord our holy Mother, the hierarchical Church." (Ibid., n. 353)

There has been much conjecture concerning the lady who occupied the thoughts of Ignatius, the knight. Perhaps a definitive answer will never be given this question, and it is really a matter of secondary importance. But the lady whom he served unstintingly from the moment of his conversion, the lady for whom he dreamed the great dreams that he turned into deeds, the lady who occupied the first place in his generous heart was, without doubt, our holy Mother, the Church, the living Spouse of Christ.

But he was not content with his lifetime of personal service to her. He wished to leave her his fundamental work, his Society, in order to perpetuate in her a spirit of love and service, a spirit of sacrifice which is the chief characteristic and reason for existence of the Ignatian army.

Ignatius: son of the Holy See

3. There was still another genial attribute in the sanctity of Ignatius about which We, unworthy Vicar of Christ on earth, cannot remain silent. The sanctity of Ignatius progressed from gratitude to love, from love to the service of Christ, from service and love for Christ to service and love for His Spouse, the Church, and thence to an unconditional filial adherence to him who is the head and ruler of the Church, the living Christ on earth, the Roman Pontiff, at whose disposal the little group of students from Montmartre also placed themselves. So too the first priests whom Ignatius brought to Rome were anxious to consecrate their lives to the service of the Supreme Pontiff. Ignatius declared that this consecration was necessary for all who "wish to be militant for God, under the banner of the Cross and to serve only the Lord and the Church, His Spouse, under the Roman Pontiff, Vicar of Christ on earth." (Apostolic Letter "Exposcit debitum," July 21, 1550)

Ignatius rose above all the defects and all the imperfections which at a given time might cast their shadow over any institution and, raising his eyes to heaven, proclaimed himself a soldier in the service of the Vicar of Christ, to whom he was so closely united that he consecrated his entire life and all his activities to him. This close union and submission has been the very foundation of the life of his sons who have fought and are fighting all over the world in the service of the Roman Pontiff and of the Church, without consideration of reward or sacrifice.

And how well aware of this you are, beloved children of Spain, who in days not far distant had occasion to admire the example given by hundreds and thousands of men who were expelled from their homes, stripped of all their worldly possessions, and driven into exile. You admired not only the silence and peace but the joy with which they suffered, precisely because the principal reason for such a great injustice was their loyalty and submission to the Vicar of Christ.

A portrait of Ignatius

Ignatius was a human being of inestimable worth, a man enriched with the charisms of sanctity, a good servant of the Church, to whom he consecrated his life and his work, and a faithful soldier of the Pontiff to whom he has left as a precious heritage that most faithful army still nourished by his spirit.

He was a tireless fighter and the highest of contemplatives, tenacious in his aims and gentle in his manner of achieving them, religious in all his thoughts but not oblivious to the realities imposed by life. He made use of profound intellectual criteria, but was capable of reducing the most complicated problem to a coherent order. He was unswerving in his principles but had a great understanding of men, who were more impressed by his moral qualities than by his intellectual attributes. He was a powerful logician whose heart was filled with delicacy and tenderness. Prudent to the greatest degree in all things, he was, nonetheless, possessed of a supernatural confidence in the results of his efforts. He had a supreme love for Christ, was modest, humble, completely dedicated to God, poor in worldly goods, firm in his principles and unwavering in his course, integrally united to God, Who was ever present before him. This is a description of Ignatius of Loyola, captain of the militia of Christ, soldier of the Pontificate and of the Church.

A monument to Ignatius

Let us reflect on his memory, beloved children. We seem to see him coming out of his ancestral mansion, standing in the half-light of the archway, under the escutcheon which recalls to him the glories of his ancestors. His dress is noble, but simply styled. One of his legs is bandaged and he walks with difficulty, until he meets the rays of the setting sun beyond the shadows.

Now we see his grave face more clearly. A wondrous light issues from his eyes which seems to reflect heaven. Is he going to say his customary "Salve" to the Virgin of Olaz? He is beginning to walk, but he is not limping today as usual. He looks out over the wide valley and then turns to the left and begins to ascend the slope of Izarráiz. Higher and higher he climbs, leaving the earth behind him, scaling the hills one by one until he finally stops to look down at you. Observe him well, on that monument which you are dedicating to him as a symbol of your piety. His noble clothing has been converted into a warrior's armor. His body has been turned into bronze to defy time. His feet rest firmly on a ship's keel as if to calm the restless waves of the world. He has grown to such proportions that he dominates the horizon. He can peer into the windows of the world from his position above his valley, above the Pyrenees, above Spain and beyond his own century.

This is the destiny of saints, of immortal souls: when they come into contact with the inexorable and relentless file called time, they are not ground down and worn away; they develop and expand with the perspective of the centuries, as that monument of yours which is scarcely discernible at close range but which is enormous and imposing from a distance.

A closing prayer and blessing from those heights, or better still, from the heights of heaven, may St. Ignatius bless his birthplace which he loved so much, and all of Spain which he honored and served so generously. May he continue to pray for this Church whose loyal son he was. Through his intercession may the service of his zealous sons continue ever to be subject to the Vicars of Christ, who have paid him honor with their paternal love.

As a pledge of all these gifts and graces, here is Our Blessing: to you, beloved son, Our legate who has represented us so worthily; to Our brothers in the episcoрасу, priests and religious who are present there today; to the Spanish Chief of State and all the civil and military authorities who have contributed with such genuine piety to the splendor of those solemn celebrations; to all Our children present there; to the beloved Society of Jesus; to all that region and all of Spain, as well as to all those to whom Our voice is being carried by intangible waves.

Como el concertante
July 31, 1956