Benedict XV (redirected from Pope Benedict XV)

Benedict XV, 1854–1922, pope (1914–22), an Italian (b. Genoa) named Giacomo della Chiesa; successor of Pius X. He was made archbishop of Bologna in 1907 and cardinal in 1914, two months before his election as pope. His policy in World War I was one of the strictest neutrality, and he had the respect of all belligerents. He originated several proposals for peace. Benedict was charitable toward war victims, and he founded the Vatican service for prisoners of war. During his pontificate France and England resumed diplomatic relations with the Holy See and he promulgated (1917) the Code of Canon Law (Codex iuris canonici). He was succeeded by Pius XI.

Bibliography

See biography by W. H. Peters (1959).

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Benedict XV

 orig. Giacomo Della Chiesa

Benedict XV, 1921

(credit: UPI)

(born Nov. 21, 1854, Pegli, Kingdom of Sardinia—died Jan. 22, 1922, Rome, Italy) Pope (1914–22). Ordained a priest in 1878, he entered the papal diplomatic service. He was made archbishop of Bologna in 1907 and cardinal in 1914. Elected pope a month after the outbreak of World War I, he tried to follow a policy of strict neutrality and concentrated the church's efforts on relief. He later made positive efforts toward reestablishing peace, though his principal attempt in 1917 to mediate the war was unsuccessful.

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Benedict XV

original name Giacomo della Chiesa. 1854--1922, pope (1914--22); noted for his repeated attempts to end World War I and for his organization of war relief

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Benedict XV 

(secular name, Marchese Giacomo Delia Chiesa). Born Nov. 21, 1854, in Pegli, near Genoa; died Jan. 22, 1922, in Rome. Pope from 1914 to 1922.

From 1883 to 1907, Delia Chiesa was in the Vatican diplomatic service. He served as bishop of Bologna between 1907 and 1914, becoming cardinal in 1914. During World War 1 (1914–18), while the Vatican officially proclaimed its neutrality, he in fact supported the Austro-German bloc. In 1916–17 the Vatican undertook an active diplomatic policy to achieve a compromise imperialistic peace for the purpose of preventing revolution in the warring countries (An Address to the Leaders of the Warring Countries, Aug. 1, 1917, and other notes). Benedict XV took a hostile position with regard to the Great October Socialist Revolution and Soviet power.

M. M. SHEINMAN