Reform of Seminary Education During the Pontificate of Pius X in the Light of the Socio-Political Doctrine of the Roman Church

Abstract

This article is a devoted to the study of reforms of higher spiritual education during the pontificate of Pius X (1903–1914). In domestic church literature, this issue was considered only partially and more than a century ago. However, these reforms subsequently had their results, the analysis of which may be of interest to modern theological science. The purpose of the article is to study the scope and results of the activities of this Pope in the formation of a system of regional Italian seminaries and in preserving conservative methods of teaching Catholic doctrine. The methodology used in the issue of interest to us was complex. It was based on an analysis of numerous normative documents of Pius X and foreign church-historical literature dedicated to his era, which has not yet been translated into Russian. Being a supporter of social Catholicism, this pope understood that only well-trained church personnel would be able to preserve the authority of Christianity in the unfavorable conditions of state anti-clericalism and solve the social problems of the flock in the difficult circumstances of the secular world. In this regard, by closing small diocesan seminaries that were unable to provide the necessary qualifications, Pius X contributed to the establishment of regional theological educational institutions with a good material and technical base and an established educational process, which brought tangible results. Also, during the research, undoubted parallels were noted between the reforms being studied and the research, undoubted parallels were noted between the reforms being studied and the situation in modern Russian Orthodox Church on the need for reforms of diocesan theological schools and their transition to state standards, represents the problem of interest to us as the experience of the Roman Church in a similar situation.