So today’s saint was fifth of a string of popes who took the name Pius (to date, there have been 12 of them–the last being infamous for his instrumentality, when the Vatican’s Secretary of State, in effecting the 1933 Concordat between Nazi Germany and the Vatican). This one, Pius V, lived in the 1500s.

What is remarkable in Butler’s paean to Pius is the discussion of this saint’s “holy ambition.” Because I am fascinated by the history of words, I looked up the etymology of ambition. It comes from the Latin word, ambitio, and originally meant going around (ambling), particularly to solicit votes! So, yes, I should imagine that if one really wants to be pope (an elected office, after all), he well might need to ambition (yes, ambition is also a verb).

Butler’s words are unintentionally telling, in reference to the life of pre-pope Pius: “It was the young novice’s holy ambition to surpass all others in humility, modesty, and the exercises of mortification, obedience, and devotion.” PV wanted to be the best in the world at being humble and modest! The wording continues to interest me…PV also wanted to be the best in the world at spiritual exercises–though this doesn’t state that he wanted to be the most mortified, most obedient, and most devoted…only the best at consistently doing his exercises. OK, perhaps that is diving too deeply into what, after all, are Butler’s words. Still–you cannot get the votes to become pope if no one knows of your existence.

To me, Butler’s words are damning. Surely the desire to gain widespread recognition as the most humble, most modest person is an exercise in the emotional manipulation of others for utterly self-serving reasons. Here: let me show you how hard I work at my spiritual exercises, of which I am the least successful and least worthy of praise or attention. Notice: I am extraordinarily gifted at humility, and though I try harder than anyone in the world to obtain this state, I am not worthy of praise. Look: I negotiated a peace treaty to protect the Catholic citizens in Nazi Germany in return for assuring their fidelity to the Reich, even though I be but the least of God’s servants (oops! I was conflating Pii there for a moment).

I am not sure how laudable ambitioning is or can be. It seems qualitatively different from devotion, commitment, or care for someone else. Devoting oneself to loving others, committing oneself to easing the burden on the sick and their families, caring for people who are being bullied–this stuff matters. And it will lose you as many votes as it will get you, especially when you run up against those who gain by keeping people unloved, sick, and bullied.

Pius V’s papal actions involved restoring glory to the Church, banishing prostitutes (“lewd women”) to a small corner of Rome (at the threat of beatings), and forbidding beggars AND alms-giving in churches (“to prevent an occasion of distractions and an abuse contrary to the silence and respect due to the house of prayer”). You’ll be glad to know that, nevertheless, Pius V found time to continue his unparalleled spiritual exercises throughout the entirety of his papacy.