Pius IX was beatified by Saint John Paul II on September 3, 2000along with Saint John XXIII and the priest Guillermo José Chaminade, founder of the Marianists.
About Pius IX, Saint John Paul II said that “in the midst of the turbulent events of his time, he was an example of unconditional adherence to the immutable deposit of revealed truths. Faithful to the commitments of his ministry in all circumstances, he always knew how to attribute absolute primacy to God and spiritual values.
“His very long pontificate was not easy and he had to suffer a lot to fulfill his mission at the service of the Gospel. He was greatly loved, but also hated and slandered.”
Saint John Paul II also recalled that Pius IX “convoked the First Vatican Ecumenical Council, which clarified with magisterial authority some issues then debated, confirming the harmony between faith and reason.”