Petrus Canisius Van Lierde
Encyclopedia
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
State, and was the longest serving Vatican official in that position.
Early life
Van Lierde was born in HasseltHasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to a Dutch family. After his education, he joined the Order of Saint Augustine
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
and was ordained priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
30 May 1931. After receiving doctorates in theology and philosophy, he headed the Augustinian College Saint Monica
Saint Monica
Saint Monica may refer to:*Saint Monica, a Christian saint and mother of Saint Augustine*Saint Monica , a 2002 Canadian film...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he was hiding many refugees including military officers, Jews and anti-fascist politicians during he war years.
Vicar General of His Holiness for the State of the Vatican City
Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
named him Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Porphyreon in 1951 and Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of the Vatican State. October 1958 he gave the last rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
to the Pope and presided over his funeral in Saint Peter Basilica. He functioned as Sacristan in four Papal Conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
s, 1958, 1963 and twice in 1978. After having served forty years and one day, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
accepted his resignation in 1991 and named him Emeritus Vicar General, with the privilege to maintain his residence inside the Vatican near the papal quarters.
Sacristan of the Popes
In 1954, when Pope Pius XII seemed to be without hope of survival, he asked for Petrus Canisius Van Lierde to anoint him. Miraculously, the Pope recovered and lived another four years. In May 1963, Pope John XXIIIPope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
was asking for him. On May 31 it had become clear that the cancer had overcome the resistance of the Pope. At 11 A.M. Petrus Canisius Van Lierde as Papal Sacristan was at the bedside of the dying pope, ready to anoint him. The Pope begins to speak for a very last time: “I had the great grace to be born into a Christian family, modest and poor, but with the fear of the Lord. …My time on earth is drawing to a close. But Christ lives on and continues his work in the Church. Souls, souls, Ut omnes unum sint, (that all may be one). Van Lierde then anointed his eyes, ears, mouth, hands and feet. Overcome by emotion, he forgets the right order of anointing. Pope John gently helps him. Then the Pope bid him and all the other bystanders a last farewell.
Van Lierde and Pope Pius XII
Throughout his life, Van Lierde was an ardent admirer of Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, whose determination and courage to save lives during the German occupation of Rome he repeatedly described.Pius XII possessed a sharp, penetrating intelligence, an extraordinary memory, a methodical way, and strong will to work, a deep love of God and of people, whom he loved through God and because of Him. Pius XII lived simply when alone, and displayed friendly reluctance, when he met strangers. He had instant capacity to understand the other person and showed great tact towards those who may have been very direct. From 1958 to 1995, he presided over the annual liturgical celebrations for Pope Pius XII in the crypt of Saint Peter Basilica. In presence of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he led the funeral services of Madre Pascalina Lehnert in the Vatican's Campo Santo. Petrus Canisius J. van Lierde died March 12, 1995, on the anniversary of the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of his favourite Pope.
Sources
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- Pontificio Annuario, Vatican City, 1951-1992
- Peter Pham, Vatican Heirs of the Fisherman behind the scenes of Papal Death and succession, Oxford University Press 2004
Publications
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- Petrus Canisius J van Lierde, Pius XII, in Herbert Schambeck, Pius XII, Butzon & Becker, Kevelaer, 1986
- Petrus Canisius J van Lierde The Holy See at work, how the Catholic Church is governed, [Translated by James Tucek. Hawthorn Books New York, 1962
- Petrus Canisius J van Lierde, Prayers and devotions from John Paul II London. Penguin. 1998. 466 S.. ISBN 0-14-024725-4
- Petrus Canisius J. van Lierde, What is a Cardinal, Hawthorn Books, New York, 1964