Benedict XV

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

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

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

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.