Vigils Reading – St Paul VI

ST PAUL VI

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He was born with the name of Giovanni Baptista Montini in September

26, 1897. His father, Giorgio was a lawyer, politician and member of the Italian

Chamber of Deputies. The young Montini was plagued with numerous physical

ailments. He was ordained at the age of 22 on May 29, 1920. He was then sent to

Rome where he attended the Academy which was geared to the training of

diplomats. He began his service of thirty years in the Vatican Secretariat of

State. During those years he was also active as a chaplain to the Catholic

Students at the University of Rome.

He was named Undersecretary of State in 1924. He served in that office

for thirty years. He was named Archbishop of Milan in 1954. He rebuilt

churches that had been destroyed during the war and made every effort to win

back the working class from Communist influences. Devoted to the

disadvantaged, he was a frequent visitor to hospitals, orphanages, homes of the

aged and prisons.

After Pope John XXIII was elected and announced the Second Vatican

Council, he appointed Montini to the Central Preparatory Commission. He took

a very active part in the First Session of the Council in 1962. Pope John died in

1963 and Montini was elected as his successor. It was felt that he would

continue the process of the Council. He chose the name of Paul VI and was

determined that, like Paul the Apostle, his pontificate would spread the Gospel

to the entire world. In his first message as Pope he set forth his agenda: to

continue Vatican II, to revise Canon Law, to work for peace and justice at all

levels, and to seek Christian Unity.

Paul was well equipped to deal with the Council because of his long

experience in the Secretariat of state. He knew the Curia thoroughly. Their

actions may not have always pleased him, but they rarely surprised him. He was

actively involved in the three sessions of the Council over which he presided. He

suggested amendments to several of the documents: ecumenism, missionary

activity, revelation, Eastern Catholic Churches and religious liberty.

One issue that he held back from the Council was that of Birth Control. He

set up a Commission of Lay people to consider the issue. However eventually he

came to his own conclusion and issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae which

forbade the use of artificial contraceptives. The encyclical created a crisis in the

Church. Paul himself came to refer to the document as “a painful document in

our episcopacy”. The last ten years of his pontificate were difficult for Paul VI.

He was more withdrawn and troubled by the negative reaction to Humanae

Vitae, the polarity between conservatives and liberals, the massive departure

from priestly and religious life, and the lack of vocations. The Pope told Jean

Guiton that Archbishop Lefebvre, who defiantly opposed the liturgical reform

was “the greatest cross of my pontificate”.

Debilitating arthritis and acute cystitis weakened him in the summer of

1978. On August 6, 1978 he died of a heart attack at Castel Gandolfo. He was

beatified by Pope Benedict XVI and canonized by Pope Francis.