St. Pius V, Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Battle of Lepanto

St. Pius V and the Battle of Lepanto

St. Pius V was the great reform pope after the Council of Trent. His greatest triumph is in international politics - the naval victory of the Catholic fleet against the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto. Victory was attributed to the aid of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Brief biographical sketch

St. Pius V (1504-1572 A.D.), was born at Bosco near Alessandria, Italy, on January 17. His real name was Antonio Michael Ghislieri. He entered the Dominican Order at fourteen years of age and was ordained in 1528 A.D. After teaching philosophy and theology for many years, he was appointed bishop of Nepi and Butri by Pope Paul IV in 1556 A.D. When in January 7, 1566 A.D., he was elected pope, he set at once into effect the decrees of Trent.

A saintly Dominican pope and achiever

As pope, St. Pius V continued to live the ascetic life and the virtuous practices he learned as a Dominican. He combined mystical union with God in prayer and a fervent zeal to reform the Church. He was known for his charity - especially of giving large sums to the poor. He also visited the sick in hospitals. In his work on Church reform, three are attributed to him: the Catechismus Romanus (1566 A.D.), the revised Roman Breviary (1568 A.D.), and a new Missale
Romanum (1570 A.D.). It was these achievements that gave him the honor as the great reform pope after the Council of Trent.

His international politics

Though St. Pius was able to reform the internal structure of the Church, he did not do as well in the realm of international politics. Especially noted was his excommunication (1570 A.D.) of Elizabeth of England. This only increased the persecution and oppression of English Catholics. Also, his conduct towards Spain and France brought about unfortunate outcomes.

The Battle of Lepanto

The greatest triumph of St. Pius V in international politics was the naval victory over the Turks at Lepanto (October 7, 1571 A.D.) - a naval battle fought off the coast of Lepanto, Greece. This was the first major defeat of the Muslims. The victory is attributed to the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose aid was invoked through praying the rosary. To commemmorate the victorious event, St. Pius V instituted on October 7 the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and inserted the title Help of Christians in the Litany of the Virgin Mary.

Historical details of the Battle

The naval Battle of Lepanto was a battle between the Catholic fleet against the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. The Catholic armada consisted of 200 galleys, mostly Venetian and Spanish, and was commanded by Don Juan of Austria. This Catholic armada engaged in battle with the Turkish fleet of 300 ships inside the entrance to the Gulf of Lepanto. The Turks suffered a crushing defeat in spite of their superior numbers. This victory the Catholics attributed to the aid of strength provided them through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Death of St. Pius V

After the naval victory at Lepanto, St. Pius attempted to form an alliance of the Italian cities, France, Poland, and other Christian nations of Europe to march against the Turks. However, he died in Rome on May 1, 1572 A.D. He was canonized in 1712 A.D.

Related resources:

• "A History of the Church", by August Franzen and John P. Dolan
• "A Year with the Saints", by Don Bosco Press Inc.
• "Dictionary of Saints", by John J. Delaney
• Encyclopedia International, volume 10