The Dominican Friar Who Became Pope and Helped Preserve Europe

He excommunicated queen Elizabeth, declared Thomas Aquinas a doctor of the church, rallied the Holy League, and helped shield Europe from Ottoman conquest.

This is the Catholic Frequency Podcast.

Find us online at catholicfrequency.com, and follow us on the X social media platform and on YouTube. The Dominican friar who became pope Pius the fifth preserved the continent and shaped the Counter Reformation. Now most of us are unfamiliar with the names of popes who ruled many centuries ago, and that's not surprising as there have been more than 200 popes.

But there is one name we should know. Antonio Ghizlieri was born in fifteen o four near Milan. He joined the Dominicans at only 14 years old. He was known for his piety and his discipline. And as he aged, he rose through the ranks, becoming an inquisitor, tackling heresies in Italy.

His strict moral compass would grow throughout his life and be a defining characteristic of his papacy. Elected pope in 1566, Pius V focused on reforming the church. He enforced the Council of Trent's decrees, standardizing Catholic liturgy with the Roman Missal. In 1570, Pius the fifth took a very bold stand against Protestantism by excommunicating Queen Elizabeth the first. He issued a papal bull and branded her a heretic and absolved all of her subjects of allegiance to her.

This inflamed Catholic protestant intentions, and it emboldened plots against the life of Elizabeth, and it hardened England's Anti Catholic stance. It shaped Anglo papal relations for centuries. Pius the fifth was a warrior for the fate. He faced the growing Ottoman threat coming from the Mediterranean Sea. In 1571, he forged the Holy League, uniting Spain, Venice, and the papal forces.

As the battle loomed, he called on all of Europe to pray the rosary most fervently. The Christian forces of Europe would soon engage in one of the greatest naval battles the Mediterranean had ever seen, a battle where they were outnumbered by both men and naval vessels. Confidence propelled the Muslim invaders, while fervent faith ignited the hearts of the Christian forces. On the eve of the conflict, soldiers of the Holy League, inspired by Pius the fifth's call to faith, all sought confession and received communion, fortifying their resolve for the clash at Lepanto. The decisive battle saw the Christian fleet led by Don Juan of Austria crush the Ottoman navy.

Pius would later attribute the victory to the rosary, urging its widespread devotion, which helped cement its place in Catholic tradition. To commemorate Lepanto's triumph, Pius the fifth instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory in 1571, and he later renamed it Our Lady of the Rosary. Pius the fifth was always a strong believer in this Marian devotion. Lepanto only strengthened his faith. In addition to his strong moral leadership in rallying Europe to repel the Muslims and his excommunication of Queen Elizabeth, Pius the fifth is remembered for another major move, declaring Thomas Aquinas a doctor of the Catholic church.

Pius the fifth was canonized a saint in the year 1712. So every time you pick up that rosary, remember what Pius the fifth believed about the rosary, that it's very powerful indeed. This is the Catholic frequency podcast. Visit our website at catholicfrequency.com. You can also follow us on YouTube.

You can follow us on the x social media platform, or you can also subscribe to us there, help support our work of creating more videos and more content.