Pope Pius XI and the Theotokos, by Stephanie Mann

Daily Reading & Meditation: Thursday (January 2)
January 2, 2020
Abortion Was the Leading Cause of Death Worldwide in 2019, Killing 42 Million People
January 2, 2020

The Salus Populi Romani icon, crowned by Pius XII in 1953. After the renovation, the crown was deleted and is now in the museum of the sacristy of Saint Peter. The picture today in Rome exists therefore only without the crown. (Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

“If private and public morals take a turn for the worse … we all take refuge with her, imploring heavenly aid.” —Pope Pius XI

By Stephanie Mann, National Catholic Register, 1/1/20 

Note: This article originally appeared Oct. 16, 2018, at the Register.

On the Roman Calendar of the 1962 Missal promulgated by Pope St. John XXIII, Oct. 11 is the Feast of the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast was proclaimed in an encyclical letter issued by Pope Pius XI on Dec. 25, 1931 in celebration of the anniversary of the great Council of Ephesus in 431, 1500 (one thousand, five hundred) years before.

Pope Pius XI reigned from 1922, succeeding Pope Benedict XV, and died in 1938, succeeded by Pope Pius XII. In his encyclical, Lux Veritatis, Pope Pius XI celebrated the history of the Council of Ephesus and explained how the doctrine of the Person of Jesus, Divinity Incarnate, was essential to Catholic teaching and devotion about the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Incipit—the first words—of this encyclical Lux Veritatis, refers to the light of truth found in the true understanding of history. One shining truth revealed by history, Pius XI declares, is that God is always with His Church, defending her in the midst of troubles, whether the troubles are from within or from without. He will protect “the integrity of the sacred deposit of Gospel truth.” (paragraph 2) ….

Read more here  https://www.ncregister.com/blog/stephaniemann/pope-pius-xi-and-the-theotokos