St. Paul VI: A Pope Who Loved Salesians

By Fr. Gianni Caputa, SDB

(ANS – Rome – October 11) – On October 14, Giovanni Battista Montini, elected Pope Paul VI on June 21, 1963, was canonized by Pope Francis. It was enough for Cardinal Ottaviani, announcing the election, to pronounce the baptismal name of the new Pope, “Ioannem Baptistam,” to arouse a very long applause.

Throughout his life, Paul VI always showed a strong affection for the Salesian Family. His father Giorgio was greatly devoted to Don Bosco, and next to his desk hung a picture of Don Bosco, with the words: “In death, we gather the fruit of good works.” The Pope told the Salesian general chapter received in audience on January 26, 1978, “It is a saying of Don Bosco that was textually impressed on my heart.”

His relationship with the Salesians had been close since his youth. A Salesian, Fr. Antonio Cojazzi, fostered the Salesian and missionary vocation of a cousin of the future Pope; during his brief service (June-October 1923) as a clerk at the nunciature in Warsaw, Fr. Montini admired the Salesians’ work in that land. He went to Oswiecim for the inauguration of a Salesian school and visited the Salesians in Krakow at St. Stanislaus Kostka, the future parish of Karol Wojtyla. In Rome, he had cordial contacts with the Salesians working at the Holy See and with several communities of the Castelli Romani. He also shared the joy for the beatification (1929) and canonization of Don Bosco (1934).

In his service at the Vatican Secretariat of State, he directly supported the action of the Roman Salesian Family with needy minors, particularly through the Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco. As archbishop of Milan he had the same predilection for the youths of Sant’Agostino and of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians houses present there. To the sons of Don Bosco he entrusted the Arese juvenile reformatory, an arduous undertaking, but he assigned it to them, trusting that they would be able to recover those young people at risk.

As Pope he was able to measure and appreciate the global dimensions of Salesian work, to ascertain the relevance of the Salesian method for the needs of youth, and to cultivate family relationships with Salesians active in the Curia.

In 1978 he addressed the Salesians of the 21st General Chapter: “Be blessed…. Be filled with graces that the Lord makes us desire for you…. Be truly Salesians! [Among the many meetings] what moves Us in a special way and gives Us joy and hope is that the Church today be truly that of Don Bosco, the living Church.”