Louis-Édouard-François-Desiré, Cardinal Pie was Bishop of Poitiers and a major proponent of the Social Reign of Christ the King.
From LifeSiteNews
By S.D. Wright
Stabat Mater Press' new edition of The Social Kingship of Christ According to Cardinal Pie gives comprehensive explanation of why Christ is King.
Stabat Mater Press just released a new translation of Fr. Théotime de Saint-Just’s classic work, The Social Kingship of Christ According to Cardinal Pie.
I had the honor of providing the foreword for this handsome new edition, available in both hardback and paperback. (NB: I am not receiving any commission or benefits from sales.)
Who was Cardinal Pie?
Louis-Edouard-Désiré Pie (1815-80) was born in Pontgouin, France, in 1815. He rose in the ecclesiastical ranks until he was made bishop of Poitiers in 1849 and was elevated to cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879, almost exactly a year before he died. He was an extremely energetic prelate, and his legacy was appreciated by several popes – as is recounted in Capuchin monk Fr. Théotime de Saint-Just’s introduction to the work. Pope St. Pius X, in particular, praised Cardinal Pie’s work publicly, calling him “my master.”
Cardinal Pie is one of the great, neglected voices in Catholic theology. His work provides a comprehensive exposition of the Social Kingship of Christ – and yet he remains almost unknown to English-speaking Catholics.
This is a great loss to us because the questions Cardinal Pie addressed in the 19th century – the duties of states toward God, the rights of Christ over civil society, the consequences of national apostasy from the Faith – are precisely the questions that confront us today.
About the book
This book by Fr. Théotime is a synthesis of Cardinal Pie’s writings, sermons, and addresses on the topic. Fr Théotime provides an extensive selection of such texts that are presented at length and result in an extensive exposition of the doctrine in question.
LifeSiteNews has published many explanations of this doctrine and its implications for our day that are available here: Here's what 'Christ is King' REALLY means
- Leo XIV openly rejects the reign of Christ the King over states and nations
- Here’s what the Catholic Church actually teaches about ‘Christ is King’
At a time in which the Kingship of Christ is reduced to largely individualistic terms and the phrase “Christ is King” is thrown around as a slogan emptied of its original doctrinal content, this synthesis could not have been re-translated and published at a better time.
The central question that Christ’s Social Kingship answers is expressed by Fr. Théotime in the introduction to the work:
Our Lord Jesus Christ – did He come to earth to sanctify souls, or did He also come to impose His will upon social institutions, codes of law, assemblies, and sovereigns themselves, thus becoming the supreme King of nations and peoples?
Cardinal Pie sets out the nature of Christ’s Kingship, showing that Our Lord did not come solely for sanctification of souls but also to “impose His will upon social institutions,” etc.; indeed, the latter is a necessary consequence of the former. For if Christ is King over all individuals, then He is their King whether they are alone or gathered as families, societies, and nations. All such gatherings of men have a duty to recognize this Kingship, and Christ has a right to their homage.
The order of the book
Fr. Théotime’s work proceeds in an orderly manner, starting with Cardinal Pie’s exposition of the doctrine and its implications for societies and nations. He then proceeds to the cardinal’s analysis of the rebellion against Christ’s Kingship, and the consequences of this rebellion. He presents Cardinal Pie’s explanation of how Christ’s Social Kingship can be restored — examining the duties of different classes of men. The work ends with Cardinal Pie’s “prophecies” of the two outcomes that await mankind, depending on whether Christ is “allowed” to reign, or whether mankind replies by saying, “We will not have this man to reign over us.”
What makes this synthesis by Fr. Théotime so valuable is Cardinal Pie’s integration of Scripture, the Fathers, and the magisterium into a single, coherent manifesto. He demonstrates why Christ’s Kingship extends necessarily to civil society, how the refusal to acknowledge it leads to ruin, and what the restoration of this Kingship requires of each class of men.
In particular, Cardinal Pie’s analysis of these consequences of the rebellion against Christ’s Kingship reads like a description of our world – making this work especially important for our time.
How the book was received at the time
Fr. Théotime received much praise for this work.
Fr. Josephus Antonius a Persiceto, the Master General of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin praised it, speaking of the “greatest satisfaction” that he had reading this “fine work.” [1]
Fr. Théotime provides a number of reviews in the preface to the second edition. For example, Cardinal Mercier described it as “an illuminating synthesis,” and a professor at the Catholic University of Paris praised Fr. Théotime for having put Cardinal Pie’s work “into scholastic form,” and having given it “its full effectiveness against contemporary error.” [2]
He also provides the comments of a diocesan superior of a congregation:
Please accept my deepest gratitude and also my complete admiration for your perfect work. It is a well-organized, lively, illuminating, concise book which is both interesting and edifying to read. Not a word too many.
I read it with enthusiasm and with the desire that it be known and become the bedside book of all those who have authority over society, bishops, priests, legislators, and social leaders. [3]
Fr. Adhémar d’Alès, SJ, wrote the following in his review for Études [4] in 1924:
The Rev. Fr. Théotime de Saint-Just had the very happy idea of gathering (Cardinal Pie’s teachings on the Social Kingship) so that they might be heard by the present generation.
He establishes, through textual quotations borrowed from the Bishop of Poitiers: (1) the right of Jesus Christ to reign over societies; (2) the all-too-certain fact of general apostasy; (3) the means for a possible restoration of this reign; (4) the future that is promised to him.
We must hope for the widest possible dissemination of these pages of sound doctrine and valiant faith. [5]
La France franciscaine said:
The work will be read with great profit. [6].
The Nouvelle revue théologique (which has nothing to do with the nouvelle théologie) wrote:
In today’s society, which is in the throes of a profound crisis of authority, Fr. Théotime … presents an ideal program.
The Revue des lectures praised the work by explicitly linking it with the encyclical Quas Primas:
“We are pleased to recommend this book in the wake of the Encyclical (Quas primas) on the Social Kingship of Jesus Christ … Fr. Théotime’s work will be very useful to priests and educated laymen in understanding the views of the Pope.” [7]
Lastly, Polybiblion featured the following review:
(An) excellent work, so full of doctrine and piety … The relevance of the subject-matter and the sound, clearly expounded doctrine ensure this book’s apostolic success, which will be the best reward for the author. [8]
The Social Kingship in our time
My foreword situates Fr. Théotime’s work in our own ecclesiastical situation in which the doctrine of Christ’s Kingship has been so transformed as to constitute a denial of the original teaching.
It sets out why Vatican II’s doctrine of religious liberty is central to this transformation, how it has been interpreted by Vatican authorities (in ways quite contrary to those who seek to reconcile it with tradition), and the practical effects on our world – dealing with issues as varied as COVID-19, train crashes in Spain, and the original episcopal consecrations of the SSPX in 1988.
Fr. Théotime’s book ends with a discussion of whether we may reasonably hope for a restoration of Christ’s Kingship before the end of the world. While firmly teaching that it is the duty of Christians to work for this restoration, he was “neither overly optimistic nor discouragingly pessimistic about the future.” It seems that he did not expect a “very long period of social renewal in Christ before the end of the world” but that he nonetheless nurtured a hope for a possible “brilliant autumn for Christian society at the end of the world.” [9]
Also referring to Msgr. Delassus’ La Conjuration antichrétienne (The Anti-Christian Conspiracy, currently being translated and published by Shield of Faith Press), Fr. Théotime provided the following comments from Cardinal Pie:
What are the Lord’s thoughts on the Church, on society, on Rome, on France, on the world? Must we now descend a slippery slope to the bottom of the abyss? Must we climb back up to the light? It gives me pleasure to repeat: the predictions of the saints, the premonitions of the good, seem to allow us to hope yet for days of triumph, at least temporary, for the Church militant. [10]
The cardinal also issued the following warning, parts of which seems chillingly appropriate for our time:
(W)hat is certain is that as the world approaches its end, the wicked and the seducers will have more and more of an advantage. Faith will be almost impossible to find on earth – that is to say, it will have almost completely disappeared from all earthly institutions.
Believers themselves will hardly dare to make a public and social profession of their beliefs. The schism, the separation, the divorce of societies from God – which St. Paul gives as a sign preceding the end, nisi venerit discessio primum – will be consummated day by day.
The Church, a society that will undoubtedly always be visible, will be increasingly reduced to simply individual and domestic proportions. She, who said in her early days, ‘The place is too small for me, make room for me to dwell,’ Angustus mihi locus, fac spatium ut habitem, will find herself fighting for ground inch by inch, surrounded and hemmed in on all sides: as much as the centuries had made her great, so much will be done to restrict her.
Finally, there will be a veritable defeat for the Church on earth, and the Beast will be given power to wage war against the saints and defeat them. The insolence of evil will reach its peak.
Now, in this extreme situation, in this desperate state, on this globe given over to the triumph of evil and soon to be engulfed in flames, what should all true Christians, all good people, all saints, all men of faith and courage still do?
The very moving answer to this question will be found in the book.
Ultimately, Cardinal Pie’s teaching – as presented by Fr. Théotime – is both the accusation and the antidote for what has been ailing the world since Vatican II, and even before. As the Cardinal himself said:
The only hope for our social regeneration lies in the study of religion … the first step back to peace and happiness will be a return to the science of Christianity.
You can get Fr Théotime’s book here:
- The Social Kingship of Christ According to Cardinal Pie – Fr. Théotime de Saint‑Just O.M.C.
Postscript: About Stabat Mater Press
Stabat Mater Press was founded in 2024 as a publishing house for traditional Catholic books and “dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Church’s intellectual and spiritual patrimony.”
“We prioritize,” they say, “works that are expressly related to, or can shed light on, the Social Kingship of Our Lord.”
They also are engaged in restoring older texts. With a few exceptions, publishers releasing OCR scans of old texts can have low standards – and publish their Catholic works indiscriminately with very bad books (occult, masonry, heresy, and so on). Stabat Mater Press’s editions are avoiding both problems.
Regarding big print-on-demand publishers of good and bad OCR scans indiscriminately, SMP says:
As a family-owned publishing house, we take seriously the idea that Catholic books should be made by Catholics and for Catholics — those formed by the Faith, obedient to the Church, and committed to tradition.
Stabat Mater Press has already put together a small but impressive range of books in nice editions, including:
- Freemasonry and the Anti-Christian Movement – Fr. Edward J. Cahill
- To Restore All Things: Essays of Catholic Political Thought – de Maistre, Belloc, Dononso Cortes
- The Heresy of Popular Sovereignty – Fr. Charles Maignen
- INFERNO: A Journey Through Modern Hell in Search of Eternal Truth – Augustine Virgil
You can get Fr. Théotime’s book here:
- The Social Kingship of Christ According to Cardinal Pie – Fr. Théotime de Saint‑Just, O.M.C.
References
| ↑1 | p. xxxix |
|---|---|
| ↑2, ↑3 | p. xli |
| ↑4 | 61st year, vol. 180 |
| ↑5 | Source, July-September 1924, p. 505. |
| ↑6 | Source, Vol. 9, 1926 |
| ↑7 | Revue des Lectures, 4th year, no. 1, 1926, pp. 60 f. |
| ↑8 | A. V., Polybiblion, revue bibliographique universelle, 2nd series, vol. 105, 1927, p. 105. |
| ↑9 | pp. 210-211 |
| ↑10 | p 215 |
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