Pope Benedict XV

Pope Benedict XV (Latin: Benedictus XV; 21 November 1854 22 January 1922), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa,[lower-alpha 1] was Pope from
3 September 1914 to his death in 1922. His ponticate
was largely overshadowed by World War I and its political, social and humanitarian consequences in Europe.

After seven years in oce, Pope Benedict XV died on

22 January 1922 after battling pneumonia since the start
of that month. He was buried in the grottos of Saint Peters Basilica. With his diplomatic skills and his openness
towards modern society, he gained respect for himself
and the papacy.[5] To this day, he is possibly the least reBetween 1846 and 1903, the Catholic Church had expe- membered ponti of the 20th century, overshadowed by
rienced its two longest ponticates in history up to that the likes of successors such as Pope Pius XII and Pope
point. Together Pius IX and Leo XIII ruled for a total John Paul II.
of 57 years. In 1914, the College of Cardinals chose
della Chiesa at the young age of 59, indicating their desire for another long-lasting ponticate at the outbreak 1 Early life
of World War I, which he labeled the suicide of civilized Europe. [3] The war and its consequences were the
main focus of Benedict XV. He immediately declared the
neutrality of the Holy See and attempted from that perspective to mediate peace in 1916 and 1917. Both sides
rejected his initiatives. German Protestants rejected any
Papal Peace as insulting. The French politician Georges
Clemenceau regarded the Vatican initiative as being antiFrench.[4] Having failed with diplomatic initiatives, Benedict XV focused on humanitarian eorts to lessen the
impacts of the war, such as attending prisoners of war,
the exchange of wounded soldiers and food deliveries to
needy populations in Europe. After the war, he repaired
the dicult relations with France, which re-established
relations with the Vatican in 1921. During his ponticate, relations with Italy improved as well, as Benedict
XV now permitted Catholic politicians led by Don Luigi
Sturzo to participate in national Italian politics.
In 1917, Benedict XV promulgated the Code of Canon
Law which was released on May 27, the creation of which
he had prepared with Pietro Gasparri and Eugenio Pacelli
(future Pope Pius XII) during the ponticate of Pope
Pius X. The new Code of Canon Law is considered to
have stimulated religious life and activities throughout the
Church.[5] He named Pietro Gasparri to be his Cardinal
Secretary of State and personally consecrated Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) on 13 May 1917
as Archbishop. World War I caused great damage to
Catholic missions throughout the world. Benedict XV
revitalized these activities, asking in Maximum Illud for
Catholics throughout the world to participate. For that,
he has been referred to as the Pope of Missions. His
last concern was the emerging persecution of the Catholic
Church in Soviet Russia and the famine there after the
revolution. Benedict XV was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and authorized the Feast of Mary, Mediatrix of
all Graces.[6]

Giacomo in 1866 at age twelve

Giacomo della Chiesa was born at Pegli, a suburb of

Genoa, Italy, third son of Marchese Giuseppe della
Chiesa and his wife Marchesa Giovanna Migliorati. Genealogy ndings report that his fathers side produced
Pope Callixtus II and also claimed descent from Berengar
II of Italy and that his maternal family produced Pope Innocent VII.[7]
His wish to become a priest was rejected early on by his
father who insisted on a legal career for his son.[8] At age
21 he acquired a doctorate in Law on 2 August 1875.
He had attended the University of Genoa, which after
1

BOLOGNA

the unication of Italy, was largely dominated by antiCatholic and anti-clerical politics. With his doctorate in
Law and at legal age, he again asked his father for permission to study for the priesthood, which was now reluctantly granted. He insisted however, that his son conduct his theological studies in Rome not in Genoa, so
that he would not end up as a village priest or provincial
Monsignore.[9]
Della Chiesa entered the Collegio Capranica and was
there in Rome when, in 1878, Pope Pius IX died and was
followed by Pope Leo XIII. The new pope received the
students of the Capranica in private audience only a few
days after his coronation. Shortly thereafter, della Chiesa
was ordained a priest by Cardinal Raaele Monaco La
Valletta on 21 December 1878.[10]
From 1878 until 1883 he studied at the Ponticia Accademia dei Nobili Ecclesiastici in Rome. It was there,
on every Thursday, that students were required to defend a research paper, to which cardinals and high members of the Roman Curia were invited. Cardinal Mariano
Rampolla took note of him and furthered his entry in
the diplomatic service of the Vatican in 1882, where he
was employed by Rampolla as a secretary and soon to be
posted to Madrid.[11] When Rampolla subsequently was
appointed Cardinal Secretary of State, della Chiesa followed him. During these years, della Chiesa helped negotiate the resolution of a dispute between Germany and
Spain over the Caroline Islands as well as organising relief
during a cholera epidemic.
His ambitious mother, Marchesa della Chiesa, is said to
have been discontented with the career of her son, cornering Rampolla with the words, that in her opinion, Giacomo was not properly recognised in the Vatican. Rampolla allegedly replied, Signora, your son will take only a
few steps, but they will be gigantic ones.[12]
Just after Leo XIII's death in 1903, Rampolla tried to
make della Chiesa the secretary of the conclave, but the
Holy College elected Rafael Merry del Val, a conservative
young prelate, the rst sign that Rampolla would not be
the next Pope. When Cardinal Rampolla had to leave his
post with the election of his opponent Pope Pius X, and
was succeeded by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, della
Chiesa was retained in his post.

2
2.1

Bologna
Archbishop

Della Chiesas association with Rampolla, the architect

of Pope Leo XIII's (18781903) foreign policy, made his
position in the Secretariat of State under the new ponticate somewhat uncomfortable. Italian papers announced
that on 15 April 1907, the papal nuncio Aristide Rinaldini in Madrid would be replaced by della Chiesa, who
had worked there before. Pius X, chuckling over the

Pope Pius X consecrates his future successor Pope Benedict XV

as Bishop Giacomo della Chiesa in the Vatican on 22 December
1907

journalists knowledge, commented, Unfortunately, the

paper forgot to mention whom I nominated as the next
Archbishop of Bologna. [13] On 18 December 1907, in
the presence of his family, the diplomatic corps, numerous bishops and cardinals, and his friend Rampolla, he
received the episcopal consecration from Pope Pius X
himself. The Pope donated his own Episcopal ring and
crosier to the new bishop and spent much time with the
della Chiesa family on the following day.[14] On 23 February 1908, della Chiesa took possession of his new dioceses, which included 700,000 persons, 750 priests, as well
as 19 male and 78 female religious institutes. In the Episcopal seminary, some 25 teachers educated 120 students,
preparing for the priesthood.[15]
As bishop, he visited all parishes, making a special eort
to see the smaller ones in the mountains, which could only
be accessed by horse. della Chiesa always saw preaching
as the main obligation of a bishop. He usually gave two
or more sermons a day during his visitations. His emphasis was on cleanliness inside all churches and chapels and
on saving money wherever possible, for he said, Let us
save to give to the poor. [16] A meeting of all priests in
a synod had to be postponed at the wish of the Vatican
considering ongoing changes in Canon Law. Numerous
churches were built or restored. della Chiesa personally
originated a major reform of the educational orientation
of the seminary, adding more science courses and classic
education to the curriculum.[17] He organized pilgrimages
to Marian shrines in Loreto and Lourdes at the 50th anniversary of the apparition.[18] The unexpected death of
his friend, supporter and mentor Rampolla on 16 December 1913,[19] was a major blow to Giacomo della Chiesa,
who was one of the beneciaries of his will.[18]

2.2

Cardinal

Hungary. However, in the Tirol, an integral part of

Austria which was mostly German-speaking, the southern part, the province of Trento, was exclusively Italianspeaking. The clergy of Bologna was not totally free from
nationalistic fervor either. Therefore in his capacity as
Archbishop, on the outbreak of World War I, della Chiesa
made a speech on the Churchs position and duties, emphasizing the need for neutrality, promoting peace and
the easing of suering.[22]

3 Ponticate

Archbishop della Chiesa on pastoral visit in 1910

It was custom that the Archbishop of Bologna would

be created cardinal in one of the coming consistories.
In Bologna this was surely expected of della Chiesa
as well, since, in previous years, either Cardinals were
named as archbishops, or archbishops as Cardinals soon
thereafter.[20] Pius X did not follow this tradition and
left della Chiesa waiting for almost seven years. When
a delegation from Bologna visited him to ask for della
Chiesas promotion to the College of Cardinals, he jokingly replied by making fun of his own family name, Sarto
(meaning tailor), for he said, Sorry, but a Sarto has not
been found yet to make the Cardinals robe. [20] Some
suspected that Pius X or persons close to him did not want
to have two Rampollas in the College of Cardinals.

Coronation of Pope Benedict XV in 1914

Following the death of Pius X, the resulting conclave

opened at the end of August 1914. The war would clearly
be the dominant issue of the new ponticate, so the cardinals priority was to choose a man with great diplomatic experience. Thus on 3 September 1914, della
Chiesa, despite having been a cardinal only three months,
was elected Pope, taking the name of Benedict XV. He
chose the name in honour of Pope Benedict XIV who was
from Bologna and was also its archbishop.[23] Upon being
elected pope, he was also formally the Grand Master of
the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,
prefect of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy
Oce and prefect of the Sacred Consistorial CongregaCardinal Rampolla died 16 December 1913. On 25
tion.
There was, however, a Cardinal-Secretary to run
May 1914, della Chiesa was created a cardinal, bethese bodies on a day-to-day basis.
coming Cardinal-Priest of the titulus Santi Quattro Coronati, which before him was occupied by Pietro Respighi. Due to the enduring Roman Question, after the anWhen the new cardinal tried to return to Bologna af- nouncement of his election to the papacy by the Carditer the consistory in Rome, an unrelated socialist, anti- nal Protodeacon, Benedict XV, following in the footsteps
monarchic and anti-Catholic uprising began to take place of his two most recent predecessors, did not appear at
in Central Italy; this was accompanied by a general strike; the balcony of St. Peters basilica to grant the urbi et orbi
the looting and destruction of churches, telephone con- blessing. Benedict XV was crowned at the Sistine Chapel
nections and railway buildings; and a proclamation of on 6 September 1914, and, also as a form of protest due
a secular republic. In Bologna itself, citizens and the to the Roman Question, there was no ceremony for the
Catholic Church opposed such developments success- formal possession of the Cathedral of St. John Lateran.
fully. The Socialists overwhelmingly won the following Benedict XVs ponticate was dominated by World War I,
regional elections with great majorities.[21]
which he termed, along with its turbulent aftermath, the
As World War I approached, the question was hotly dis- suicide of Europe. Benedicts rst encyclical extended
cussed in Italy as to which side to be on. Ocially, a heartfelt plea for an end to hostilities. His early call
Italy was still in an alliance with Germany and Austria for a Christmas truce in 1914 was ignored. Late in the

3 PONTIFICATE

war, in MayOctober, 1917, the apparitions of Our Lady

of Fatima occurred in Fatima, Portugal; apparitions that
would be declared worthy of belief in 1930 during the
papacy of his successor, Pius XI.

3.1

Peace eorts

cian Georges Clemenceau, a erce anti-clerical, claimed

to regard the Vatican initiative as anti-French. Benedict
made many unsuccessful attempts to negotiate peace, but
these pleas for a negotiated peace made him unpopular,
even in Catholic countries like Italy, among many supporters of the war who were determined to accept nothing
less than total victory.[26]

On 1 August 1917, Benedict issued a seven-point peace

plan stating that (1) the moral force of right ... be substituted for the material force of arms, (2) there must be
simultaneous and reciprocal diminution of armaments,
(3) a mechanism for international arbitration must be
established, (4) true liberty and common rights over
the sea should exist, (5) there should be a renunciation of war indemnities, (6) occupied territories should
be evacuated, and (7) there should be an examination
... of rival claims. Great Britain reacted favorably, but
United States President Woodrow Wilson rejected the
plan. Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary were also favorable,
[27][28]
Benedict also
Eugenio Pacelli at the Imperial Headquarters with the peace pro- but Germany replied ambiguously.
[29]
called for outlawing conscription, a call he repeated in
posal of Benedict XV to Emperor William II
1921.[30] Some of the proposals eventually were included
Fourteen Points call for peace in
The war and its consequences were Benedicts main focus in Woodrow Wilsons
[26][31]
January
1918.
during the early years of his ponticate. He declared the
neutrality of the Holy See and attempted from that per- In Europe, each side saw him as biased in favor of the
spective to mediate peace in 1916 and 1917. Both sides other and was unwilling to accept the terms he proposed.
rejected his initiatives.
Still, although unsuccessful, his diplomatic eorts during
The national antagonisms between the warring parties the war are attributed to an increase of papal prestige and
were accentuated by religious dierences before the war, served as a model in the 20th century to the peace eorts
with France, Italy and Belgium being largely Catholic. of Pius XII before and during World War II, the policies
of
Vatican relations with Great Britain were good, while nei- of Paul VI during the Vietnam War and the position
[26]
John
Paul
II
before
and
during
the
War
in
Iraq.
ther Prussia nor Imperial Germany had any ocial relations with the Vatican. In Protestant circles of Germany, the notion was popular that the Roman Catholic
Pope was neutral on paper only, strongly favoring the
allies instead.[24] Benedict was said to have prompted
AustriaHungary to go to war in order to weaken the German war machine. Also, allegedly, the Papal Nuncio in
Paris explained in a meeting of the Institut Catholique,
to ght against France is to ght against God,[24] " and
the Pope was said to have exclaimed that he was sorry
not to be a Frenchman.[24] The Belgian Cardinal DsirJoseph Mercier, known as a brave patriot during German
occupation but also famous for his anti-German propaganda, was said to have been favored by Benedict XV for
his enmity to the German cause. (After the war, Benedict also allegedly praised the Treaty of Versailles, which
humiliated the Germans.[24] )
These allegations were rejected by the Vaticans Cardinal
Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, who wrote on 4 March
1916 that the Holy See is completely impartial and does
not favor the allied side. This was even more important, so Gasparri noted, after the diplomatic representatives of Germany and AustriaHungary to the Vatican
were expelled from Rome by Italian authorities.[25] However, considering all this, German Protestants rejected
any Papal Peace, stating it as insulting. French politi-

In addition to his eorts in the eld of international

diplomacy Pope Benedict also tried to bring about peace
through Christian faith, as he published a special prayer
in 1915 to be spoken by catholic Christians throughout
the world.[32] There is a statue in Saint Peters Basilica of
the Ponti absorbed in prayer, kneeling on a tomb which
commemorates a fallen soldier of the war, which he described as a useless massacre.

3.2 Humanitarian eorts

Almost from the beginning of the war, November 1914,
Benedict negotiated with the warring parties about an
exchange of wounded and other prisoners of war who
were unable to continue ghting. Tens of thousands of
such prisoners were exchanged through the intervention
of Benedict XV.[25] On 15 January 1915, the Pope proposed an exchange of civilians from the occupied zones,
which resulted in 20,000 persons being sent to unoccupied Southern France in one month.[25] In 1916, the
Pope managed to hammer out an agreement between both
sides, by which 29,000 prisoners with lung disease from
the gas attacks could be sent into Switzerland.[33] In May
1918, he also reached agreement that prisoners on both

3.3

After the war

5
tempted to get Germany and AustriaHungary involved
in protesting to its Turkish ally. The Pope himself sent
a personal letter to the Sultan, who was also Caliph of
Islam. It had no success, as over a million Armenians
died, either killed outright by the Turks, or as a result of
maltreatment or from starvation.[36]

3.3 After the war

At the time, the anti-Vatican resentment, combined with
Italian diplomatic moves to isolate the Vatican in light
of the unresolved Roman Question,[37] contributed to the
exclusion of the Vatican from the Paris Peace conferNuncio Eugenio Pacelli delivers packages from Benedict XV to ence of 1919 (although it was also part of a historical
Italian POWs in 1917
pattern of political and diplomatic marginalization of the
papacy after the loss of the papal states). Despite this, he
sides with at least 18 months of captivity and four children wrote an encyclical pleading for international reconciliation, Pacem, Dei Munus Pulcherrimum[38]
at home would also be sent to neutral Switzerland.[25]
He succeeded in 1915 in reaching an agreement by which
the warring parties promised not to let Prisoners of War
(POWs) work on Sundays and holidays. Several individuals on both sides were spared the death penalty after
his intervention. Hostages were exchanged and corpses
repatriated.[25] The Pope founded the Opera dei Prigionieri to assist in distributing information on prisoners. By
the end of the war, some 600,000 items of correspondence were processed. Almost a third of it concerned
missing persons. Some 40,000 people had asked for help
in the repatriation of sick POWs and 50,000 letters were
sent from families to their loved ones who were POWs.[34]

After the war, Benedict focused the Vaticans activities on

overcoming famine and misery in Europe and establishing contacts and relations with the many new states which
were created because of the demise of Imperial Russia,
AustriaHungary and Germany. Large food shipments
and information about, as well as contacts with, prisoners
of war were to be the rst steps for a better understanding
of the papacy in Europe.[4]

Both during and after the war, Benedict was primarily

concerned about the fate of the children, about which he
even issued an encyclical. In 1916 he appealed to the
people and clergy of the United States to help him feed
the starving children in German-occupied Belgium. His
aid to children was not limited to Belgium but extended
to children in Lithuania, Poland, Lebanon, Montenegro,
Syria and Russia.[35] Benedict was particularly appalled at
the new military invention of aerial warfare and protested
several times against it to no avail.[36]

Regarding the Versailles Peace Conference, the Vatican

believed that the economic conditions imposed on Germany were too harsh and threatened the European economic stability as a whole. Cardinal Gasparri believed
that the peace conditions and the humiliation of the Germans would likely result in another war as soon as Germany would be militarily in a position to start one.[39] The
Vatican also rejected the dissolution of AustriaHungary,
seeing in this step an inevitable and eventual strengthening of Germany.[40] The Vatican also had great reservations about the creation of small successor states which,
in the view of Gasparri, were not viable economically and
therefore condemned to economic misery.[41] Benedict
rejected the League of Nations as a secular organization
that was not built on Christian values.[42] On the other
hand, he also condemned European nationalism that was
rampant in the 1920s and asked for European Unication in his 1920 encyclical Pacem Dei Munus.[42]

Excerpt from the letter of Woodrow Wilson to Benedict XV.

24 Dec 1918

The pope was also disturbed by the Communist revolution in Russia. The Pope reacted with horror to
the strongly anti-religious policies adopted by Vladimir
Lenin's government along with the bloodshed and
widespread famine which occurred during the subsequent
Russian Civil War. He undertook the greatest eorts trying to help the victims of the Russian famine, raising
ve million in 1921 alone.[42] Following the dissolution
of the Ottoman Empire, concerns were raised in the Vatican about the safety and future of the Catholics in the
Holy Land.

In May and June 1915, the Ottoman Empire waged

a campaign against the Armenian Christian minorities, which by some contemporary accounts looked like
genocide or even a holocaust in Anatolia. The Vatican at-

4 DIPLOMATIC AGENDA

Diplomatic agenda

to the Ponti on the death of his brother.[43] The working

conditions for Vatican sta greatly improved and feelers
were extended on both sides to solve the Roman Question.
Benedict XV strongly supported a solution and seemed to
have had a fairly pragmatic view of the political and social
situation in Italy at this time. Thus, while numerous traditional Catholics opposed voting rights for women, the
pope was in favour, arguing that, unlike the feminist protagonists, most women would vote conservative and thus
support traditional Catholic positions.[44]

4.2 France

Under Pope Benedict XV Cardinals Domenico Ferrata (above)

and Rafael Merry del Val in 1914 switched positions in the Vatican

In the post-war period, Pope Benedict XV was involved

in developing the Church administration to deal with the
new international system that had emerged. The papacy was faced with the emergence of numerous new
states such as Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia, Finland, and others. Germany, France,
Italy and Austria were impoverished from the war. In addition, the traditional social and cultural European order
was threatened by right-wing nationalism and fascism as
well as left-wing socialism and communism, all of which
potentially threatened the existence and freedom of the
Joan of Arc enters Orlans (painting by J.J. Sherer, 1887) Joan
Church. To deal with these and related issues, Benedict
was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.
engaged in what he knew best, a large scale diplomatic
oensive to secure the rights of the faithful in all counBenedict XV attempted to improve relations with the
tries.
anti-clerical Republican government of France. He canonized the French national heroine Saint Joan of Arc. In
the mission territories of the Third World, he emphasized
4.1 Italy
the necessity of training native priests to quickly replace
Leo XIII already had agreed to the participation of the European missionaries, and founded the Pontical
Catholics in local but not national politics. Relations Oriental Institute and the Coptic College in the Vatican.
with Italy improved as well under Benedict XV, who de In 1921, France re-established diplomatic relations with
[45]
facto reversed the sti anti-Italian policy of his predeces- the Vatican.
sors by allowing Catholics to participate in national elections as well. This led to a surgence of the Partito Popolare Italiano under Luigi Sturzo. Anti-Catholic politicians 4.3 Soviet Union
were gradually replaced by persons who were neutral or
even sympathetic to the Catholic Church. The King of Main article: Holy SeeSoviet Union relations
Italy himself gave signals of his desire for better relations, when, for example, he sent personal condolences The end of the war caused the revolutionary development,

4.5

Poland

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri

His friend Cardinal Rampolla at age 70 shortly before his death

which Benedict XV had foreseen in his rst encyclical. 4.5 Poland

With the Russian Revolution, the Vatican was faced with
a new, so far unknown, situation.
Before all other heads of State, Pope Benedict XV
in October 1918 congratulated the Polish people on
their independence.[48] In a public letter to Archbishop
4.4 Lithuania and Estonia
Kakowski of Warsaw, he remembered their loyalty and
The relations with Russia changed drastically for a sec- the many eorts of the Holy See to assist them. He
ond reason. The Baltic states and Poland gained their expressed his hopes that Poland would again take its
place in the family of nations and continue its hisindependence from Russia after World War I, thus en[48]
abling a relatively free Church life in those former Russia- tory as an educated Christian nation. In March 1919,
he nominated 10 new bishops and, soon after, Achille
controlled countries. Estonia was the rst country to look
who was already in Warsaw as
for Vatican ties. On 11 April 1919, Cardinal Secretary of Ratti as papal nuncio
his representative.[48] He repeatedly cautioned Polish auState Pietro Gasparri informed the Estonian authorities
against persecuting Lithuanian and Ruthenian
that the Vatican would agree to have diplomatic relations. thorities
clergy.[49]
A concordat was agreed upon in principle a year later in
June 1920. It was signed on 30 May 1922. It guaran- During the Bolshevik advance against Warsaw, he asked
teed freedom for the Catholic Church, established arch- for worldwide public prayers for Poland. Nuncio Ratti
dioceses, liberated clergy from military service, allowed was the only foreign diplomat to stay in the Polish capthe creation of seminaries and Catholic schools and en- ital. On 11 June 1921, he wrote to the Polish episcoshrined church property rights and immunity. The Arch- pate, warning against political misuses of spiritual power,
urging again for peaceful coexistence with neighbouring
bishop swore alliance to Estonia.[46]
of country has its limits in jusRelations with Catholic Lithuania were slightly more peoples, stating that love
[50]
He
sent nuncio Ratti to Silesia
tice
and
obligations.
complicated because of the Polish occupation of Vilnius,
to
act
against
potential
political
agitations of the Catholic
a city and archiepiscopal seat, which Lithuania claimed
[49]
clergy.
as its own. Polish forces had occupied Vilnius and committed acts of brutality in its Catholic seminary there.
This generated several protests by Lithuania to the Holy
See.[47] Relations with the Holy See were dened during
the ponticate of Pope Pius XI (19221939)

Ratti, a scholar, intended to work for Poland and build

bridges to the Soviet Union, hoping even to shed his blood
for Russia.[51] Pope Benedict XV needed him as a diplomat and not as a martyr and forbade any trip into the

5 CHURCH AFFAIRS

The handwriting of Pope Benedict XV.

25 July 1920, he wrote the motu proprio Bonum sane on

Saint Joseph and against naturalism and socialism.

5.2 Canon law reform

Main article: 1917 Code of Canon Law

Benedict XV as Cardinal Della Chiesa in 1914

USSR even though he was the ocial papal delegate to

Russia.[51] However, he continued his contacts with Russia. This did not generate much sympathy for him within
Poland at the time. He was asked to go. While he tried
honestly to show himself as a friend of Poland, Warsaw
forced his departure after his neutrality in Silesian voting was questioned[52] by Germans and Poles. Nationalistic Germans objected to a Polish nuncio supervising
elections, and Poles were upset because he curtailed agitating clergy.[53] On 20 November, when German Cardinal Adolf Bertram announced a papal ban on all political activities of clergymen, calls for Rattis expulsion
climaxed in Warsaw.[53] Two years later, Achille Ratti
became Pope Pius XI, shaping Vatican policies towards
Poland with Pietro Gasparri and Eugenio Pacelli for the
following 36 years (19221958).

5
5.1

Church aairs
Theology

In internal Church aairs, Benedict XV reiterated Pius

Xs condemnation of Modernist scholars and the errors in
modern philosophical systems in Ad beatissimi Apostolorum. He declined to readmit to full communion scholars
who had been excommunicated during the previous ponticate. However, he calmed what he saw as the excesses
of the anti-Modernist campaign within the Church. On

In 1917 Benedict XV promulgated the Churchs rst

Code of Canon Law, the preparation of which had been
commissioned by Pope St. Pius X, and which is thus
known as the Pio-Benedictine Code. This Code, which
entered into force in 1918, was the rst consolidation of
the Churchs Canon Law into a modern Code made up of
simple articles. Previously, Canon Law was dispersed in
a variety of sources and partial compilations. The new
Canon Law is credited with reviving religious life and
providing judicial clarity throughout the Church.[5] In addition, continuing the concerns of Leo XIII, he furthered
Eastern Catholic culture, theology and liturgy by founding an Oriental Institute for them in Rome.[5]

5.3 Catholic missions

On 30 November 1919, Benedict XV appealed to all
Catholics worldwide to sacrice for Catholic missions,
stating at the same time in Maximum Illud that these missions should foster local culture and not import European cultures.[5] The damages of such cultural imports[54]
were particularly grave in Africa and Asia, where many
missionaries were deported and incarcerated if they happened to originate from a hostile nation.

5.4 Mariology
Pope Benedict personally addressed in numerous letters
the pilgrims at Marian sanctuaries. He named Mary the
Patron of Bavaria, and permitted, in Mexico, the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception of Guadaloupe. He authorised the Feast of Mary Mediator of all Graces.[6]

9
have died herself. For the salvation of mankind, she
gave up her rights as the mother of her son and sacriced him for the reconciliation of divine justice, as
far as she was permitted to do. Therefore, one can
say, she redeemed with Christ the human race.[59]

6 Writings
During his seven-year ponticate, Benedict XV wrote a
total of twelve encyclicals. In addition to the encyclicals mentioned, he issued In hac tanta on St. Boniface
(14 May 1919), Paterno iam diu on the Children of
Central Europe (24 November 1919), Pacem, Dei munus
pulcherrimum on Peace and Christian Reconciliation (23
May 1920), Spiritus Paraclitus on St. Jerome (September 1920), Principi Apostolorum Petro on St. Ephram the
Syrian (5 October 1920), Annus iam plenus also on Children in Central Europe (1 December 1920), Sacra propediem on the Third Order of St. Francis (6 January 1921),
In praeclara Summorum on Dante (30 April 1921), and
Fausto appetente die on St. Dominic (29 June 1921).

Salus Populi Romani

He condemned the misuse of Marian statues and pictures, dressed in priestly robes, which he outlawed 4 April
1916.[55]

His Apostolic Exhortations include Ubi primum (8

September 1914), Allorch fummo chiamati (28 July
1915) and Ds le dbut (1 August 1917) The Papal
bulls of Benedict XV include Incruentum Altaris (10 August 1915), Providentissima Mater (27 May 1917) Sedis
huius (14 May 1919), and Divina disponente (16 May
1920). Benedict XV issued nine Breves during his pontificate: Divinum praeceptum (December 1915), Romanorum Ponticum (February 1916), Cum Catholicae Ecclesiae (April 1916), Cum Biblia Sacra (August 1916), Cum
Centesimus (October 1916), Centesimo Hodie (October
1916), Quod Ioannes (April 1917), In Africam quisnam
(June 1920), and Quod nobis in condendo (September
1920).

During World War I, Benedict placed the world under the

protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and added the invocation Mary Queen of Peace to the Litany of Loreto.
He promoted Marian veneration throughout the world
by elevating 20 well-known Marian shrines such as Ettal
Abbey in Bavaria into Basilica Minors. He also promoted Marian devotions in May.[56] The dogmatic consti- 6.1 Ad beatissimi Apostolorum
tution on the Church issued by the Second Vatican CounAd beatissimi Apostolorum is an encyclical of Benedict
cil quotes the Marian theology of Benedict XV.[57]
XV given at St. Peters, Rome, on the Feast of All Saints
Pope Benedict issued an encyclical, Bonum sane on 25
on 1 November 1914, in the rst year of his ponticate.
July 1920, encouraging devotion to Saint Joseph since
The rst encyclical written by Pope Benedict XV cointhrough S. Joseph we go directly to Mary, and through
cided with the beginning of World War I, which he laMary to the source of every holiness, Jesus Christ, who
beled The Suicide of Civilized Europe. Benedict XV
consecrated the domestic virtues with his obedience to S.
described the combatants as the greatest and wealthiest
[58]
Joseph and Mary.
nations of the earth, stating that they are well-provided
He issued an encyclical on Ephraim the Syrian depicting with the most awful weapons modern military science has
Ephraim as a model of Marian devotion, as well as the devised, and they strive to destroy one another with reApostolic Letter, Inter Soldalica, of 22 March 1918.[59] nements of horror. There is no limit to the measure of
ruin and of slaughter; day by day the earth is drenched
with the bodies of
As the blessed Virgin Mary does not seem to par- with newly shed blood and is covered
[60]
the
wounded
and
of
the
slain.
ticipate in the public life of Jesus Christ, and then,
suddenly appears at the stations of his cross, she is In light of the senseless slaughter, the pope pled for peace
not there without divine intention. She suers with on earth to men of good will, (Luke 2:14), insisting that
her suering and dying son, almost as if she would there are other ways and means whereby violated rights

10
can be rectied.[61]
The origin of the evil is a neglect of the precepts and
practices of Christian wisdom, particularly a lack of love
and compassion. Jesus Christ came down from Heaven
for the very purpose of restoring among men the Kingdom of Peace, as He stated, A new commandment I
give unto you: That you love one another.[62] This message is repeated in John 15:12, in which Jesus says,
This is my commandment that you love one another.[63]
Materialism, nationalism, racism and class warfare are
the characteristics of the age instead, so Benedict XV described:

6.3

PERSONALITY AND APPEARANCE

Quod iam diu

Quod iam diu was an encyclical given at Rome at St. Peters on 1 December 1918, in the fth year of his Pontificate. It requested that, after World War I, all Catholics
of the world pray for a lasting peace and for those who
are entrusted to make such during peace negotiations.

The pope noted that true peace has not yet arrived, but the
Armistice has suspended the slaughter and devastation by
land, sea and air.[71] It is the obligation of all Catholics
to invoke Divine assistance for all who take part in the
peace conference, as the encyclical states. The Pope
concludes that prayer is essential for the delegates who
to dene peace, as they are in need of much
Race hatred has reached its climax; peoples are are to meet
[72]
support.
more divided by jealousies than by frontiers; within
one and the same nation, within the same city
there rages the burning envy of class against class;
6.4 Maximum illud
and amongst individuals it is self-love which is the
supreme law over-ruling everything. [64]
Maximum illud is an apostolic letter of Benedict XV issued on November 30, 1919, in the sixth year of his ponticate. It deals with the Catholic missions after World
6.2 Humani generis redemptionem
War I. Benedict XV recalled the great Apostles of the
The encyclical Humani generis redemptionem from 15 Gospel who contributed much to the expansion of misand
June 1917, deals with blatant ineectiveness of Christian sions. He reviewed the recent history of the missions
[73]
stated
so
as
the
purpose
of
the
apostolic
letter.
The
enpreaching. According to Benedict XV, there are more
cyclical
rst
turned
to
the
bishops
and
superiors
in
charge
preachers of the Word than ever before, but in the state
of public and private morals as well as the constitutions of the Catholic missions, noting the need to train local
and laws of nations, there is a general disregard and for- clergy. Catholic missionaries today continue to be respiritual one which must be
getfulness of the supernatural, a gradual falling away from minded that their goal is a [74]
carried
out
in
a
seless
way.
the strict standard of Christian virtue, and that men are
slipping back into the shameful practices of paganism.
[65]
The Pope squarely put part of the blame on those ministers of the Gospel who do not handle it as they should. It
is not the times but the incompetent Christian preachers
who are to blame, for no one today can say for sure that
the Apostles were living in better times than ours. Perhaps, the encyclical states, that the Apostles found minds
more readily devoted to the Gospel, or they may have
met others with less opposition to the law of God.[66] As
the encyclical tells, rst are the Catholic bishops. The
Council of Trent taught that preaching is the paramount
duty of Bishops.[67] The Apostles, whose successors the
bishops are, looked upon the Church as something theirs,
for it was they who received the grace of the Holy Spirit to
begin it. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians, Christ sent
us not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel. [68] Council of Trent Bishops are required to select for this priestly
oce those only who are t for the position, i.e. those
who can exercise the ministry of preaching with prot
to souls. Proting souls does not mean doing such eloquently or with popular applause, but rather with spiritual fruit. [69] The Pope requested that all the priests
who are incapable of preaching or of hearing confession
be removed from the position.[70] The encyclical helps to
draw out the message that priests must concentrate on the
Word on God and the benetting of souls before their own
selves.

Benedict XV underlined the necessity of proper preparation for the work in foreign cultures and the need to
acquire language skills before doing such work. He
requested a continued strive for personal sanctity and
praised the seless work of the religious females in
the missions.[75] Mission, however, is not only for
missionaries, but all Catholics must participate through
their apostolate of prayer, by supporting vocations, and
by helping nancially. [76] The encyclical in concluded
with the naming of several organizations which organize and supervise mission activities within the Catholic
Church.[77]

7 Beatications and canonizations

Benedict XV canonized a total of four individuals including Joan of Arc and Marguerite Marie Alacoque. He also
beatied a total of twelve people which included Oliver
Plunkett and Louise de Marillac.

8 Personality and appearance

Pope Benedict was a slight man. He wore the smallest
of three cassocks that were prepared for the election of

11
sighted. He remained neutral during the battles of the
Great War, when almost everybody else was claiming
sides. Like that of Pius XII during World War II, his
neutrality was questioned by all sides then and even to
this day.[81]
Benedict XV personally had a strong devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary. He gave his support to an understanding of Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces by approving a Mass and oce under this title for the dioceses of Belgium. Benedict armed that together with
Christ, she redeemed the human race by her immolation of Christ as his sorrowful mother as described in his
apostolic letter Inter Sodalicia.

9 Death and legacy

The birthplace of Pope Benedict XV in Pegli

a new pope in 1914, and became known as Il Piccolito or The Little Man. Benedict XV was dignied in
bearing and courtly in terms of matters, but his appearance was not that of a pope. He had a sallow complexion, a mat of black hair, and prominent teeth. Everything
about him seemed crooked, from his nose to his eyes and
shoulders.[78]
He was renowned for his generosity, answering all pleas
for help from poor Roman families with large cash gifts
from his private revenues. When he was short on money,
those who would be admitted to an audience would often be instructed by prelates not to mention their nancial woes, as Benedict would inevitably feel guilty that he
could not help the needy at the time. He also depleted
the Vaticans ocial revenues with large-scale charitable
expenditure during World War I. Upon his death, the Vatican Treasury had been depleted to the equivalent in Italian lire of U.S. $19,000.[79]

Tomb of Benedict XV in the grottoes of St. Peters Basilica in

Vatican City.

Benedict XV celebrated Mass with the nuns at the Domus

Sanctae Marthae and while he waited for his driver out
in the rain he fell ill with the u which turned into
pneumonia. After a month of pain from which he was
said not to recover, he succumbed to that illness on 22
January 1922 at the age of 67, his nephews alongside him.
After his death, ags were own at half-sta in memory
Benedict XV was a careful innovator by Vatican stan- of him and as a tribute to him. His body then lay in state
see before being moved for burial in the
dards. He was known to carefully consider all novelties for the people to[82]
Vatican
grottos.
before he ordered their implementation, then insisting on
them to the fullest. He rejected clinging to the past for Possibly the least remembered pope of the twentieth centhe pasts sake with the words Let us live in the present tury, Benedict XV is nevertheless an unsung hero for
and not in history. [80] His relation to secular Italian pow- his valiant eorts to end World War I. In 2005, Pope
ers was reserved yet positive, avoiding conict and tacitly Benedict XVI recognized the signicance of his long-ago
supporting the Royal Family of Italy. Yet, like Pius IX predecessors commitment to peace by taking the same
and Leo XIII, he also protested against interventions of name upon his own rise to the ponticate. Benedict XV
State authorities in internal Church aairs.[80] Pope Bene- was unique in his humane approach to the world in 1914
dict was not considered a man of letters. He did not pub- 1918, which starkly contrasted with that of the other great
lish educational or devotional books. His encyclicals are monarchs and leaders of the time. His worth is reected
pragmatic and down-to-earth, intelligent yet at times far- in the tribute engraved at the foot of the statue that the

12

13

REFERENCES

Turks, a non-Catholic, non-Christian people, erected of

him in Istanbul: The great Pope of the world tragedy...
the benefactor of all people, irrespective of nationality or
religion. This monument stands in the courtyard of the
St. Esprit Cathedral.

10
10.1

Views of successors
Pius XII

Pope Pius XII showed high regard for Benedict XV,

who had consecrated him a bishop on 13 May 1917, the
very day of the rst reported apparitions of Our Lady
of Fatima. While Pius XII considered another Benedict,
Benedict XIV in terms of his sanctity and scholarly contributions to be worthy as Doctor of the Church,[83] he
thought that Benedict XV during his short ponticate was
truly a man of God, who worked for peace.[84] He helped
prisoners of war and many others who needed help in
dire times and was extremely generous to Russia.[85] He
praised him as a Marian Pope who promoted the devotion
to Our Lady of Lourdes,[86] for his encyclicals Ad beatissimi Apostolorum, Humani generis redemptionem, Quod Statue of Benedict XV in the courtyard of St. Esprit Cathedral,
iam diu, and Spiritus Paraclitus, and, for the codication Istanbul.
of Canon Law,[87] which under della Chiesa and Pietro
Gasparri, he as Eugenio Pacelli had the opportunity to
List of meetings between the Pope and the President
participate in.
of the United States

10.2

Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI showed his own admiration for Benedict XV following his election to the papacy on 19 April
2005. The election of a new Pope is often accompanied by conjecture over his choice of papal name; it is
widely believed that a Pope chooses the name of a predecessor whose teachings and legacy he wishes to continue.
Ratzingers choice of Benedict was seen as a signal that
Benedict XVs views on humanitarian diplomacy, and his
stance against relativism and modernism, would be emulated during the reign of the new Pope.
During his rst General Audience in St. Peters Square on
27 April 2005, Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to Benedict XV when explaining his choice: Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I
chose the name Benedict. Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the
Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps I
place my ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples.

11

See also

List of encyclicals of Pope Benedict XV

Cardinals created by Benedict XV

12 Notes
[1] English: James Paul John Baptist della Chiesa

13 References
[1] Miranda, Salvador. Della Chiesa, Giacomo, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Florida International
University
[2] CHIESA 1922 GENNAIO. Araldicavaticana.com. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
[3] Franzen 379
[4] Franzen 380
[5] Franzen 382
[6] AAS 1921, 345
[7] George L. Williams, Papal Genealogy: The Families and
Descendants of the Popes (2004:133)
[8] De Waal 7
[9] De Waal 1415

13

[10] De Waal 19

[37] Pollard 141

[11] De Waal 43

[14] De Waal 70

[38] DEI MUNUS PULCHERRIMUM ENCYCLICAL OF

POPE BENEDICT XV ON PEACE AND CHRISTIAN RECONCILIATION TO THE PATRIARCHS,
PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND ORDINARIES IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE
HOLY SEE

[15] De Waal 82

[39] Pollard 144

[16] De Waal 102

[40] Pollard, 145

[12] Pollard 15
[13] De Waal 68

[17] De Waal 100

[18] De Waal 121
[19] 1913
[20] De Waal 110
[21] De Waal 117
[22] De Waal 124
[23] Note on numbering: Pope Benedict X is now considered
an antipope. At the time, however, this status was not recognized, and so the man the Roman Catholic church ocially considers the tenth true Pope Benedict took the ocial number XI, rather than X. This has advanced the numbering of all subsequent Popes Benedict by one. Popes
Benedict XI-XVI are, from an ocial point of view, the
tenth through fteenth popes by that name. In other
words, there is no legitimate Pope Benedict X.
[24] Conrad Grber, Handbuch der Religisen Gegenwartsfragen, Herder Freiburg, Germany 1937, 493
[25] Grber 495
[26] Pollard, 136
[27] John R. Smestad Jr., Europe 19141945: Attempts at
Peace, Loyola University New Orleans The Student Historical Journal 19941995 Vol XXVI.
[28] Five of seven points of Benedict XVs peace plan.
[29] Pope in New Note to Ban Conscription, New York
Times, 23 September 1917, A1

[41] Pollard 145

[42] Pollard 147
[43] Pollard 163
[44] Pollard 174
[45] Franzen 381,
[46] Schmidlin III, 305
[47] Schmidlin III, 306.
[48] Schmidlin III, 306
[49] Schmidlin III, 307
[50] AAS 1921, 566
[51] Stehle 25
[52] Stehle 26
[53] Schmidlin IV, 15
[54] World War One
[55] AAS 1916 146 Baumann in Marienkunde; 673
[56] Schmidlin 179339
[57] C VII, 50
[58] Pope Benedict XV, Bonum Sane, 4, Vatican, 25 July
1920
[59] AAS, 1918, 181
[60] Ad beatissimi Apostolorum, 3

[30] Pope would clinch peace. Urges abolition of conscription

as way to disarmament , New York Times, 16 November
1921, from Associated Press report.

[61] Ad beatissimi Apostolorum, 4

[31] Popes Name Pays Homage To Benedict XV, Took Inspiration From An Anti-War Ponti, WCBSTV, 20 April
2005.

[63] (John 15:12);

[32] Prayer for Peace from Pope Benedict. Chicago Tribune.

1915-03-14. Retrieved 2015-03-01.

[62] (John 14:34);

[64] Ad beatissimi Apostolorum, 7

[65] Humani generis redemptionem 2
[66] Humani generis redemptionem 3

[33] Pollard 114

[67] [Sess., xxiv, De. Ref., c.iv]

[34] Pollard 113

[68] [I Cor. i:17]

[35] Pollard 115

[69] Humani generis redemptionem 7

[36] Pollard 116

[70] Humani generis redemptionem 9

14

14

[71] Quod iam diu, 1

[72] Quod iam diu, 2
[73] Maximum illud, 57
[74] Maximum illud, 1921
[75] Maximum illud, 30
[76] Maximum Illud 3036
[77] Maximum illud, 3740
[78] Alleged The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius
XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe: David I. Kertzer.
Amazon. ISBN 0812993462.
[79] Michael Burleigh, Sacred Causes: The Clash of Religion
and Politics from the Great War to the War on Terror,
HarperCollins, 2007, p.70.
[80] De Waal 122
[81] Pollard 86
[82] Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922)". Find a Grave. 27
November 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
[83] Pio XII, Discorsi, Roma 19391958, Vol. VIII, 419
[84] Discorsi, I 300
[85] Discorsi, II 346
[86] Discorsi XIX, 877
[87] Discorsi XIII,133

Peters, Walter H. The Life of Benedict XV. 1959.

Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company.
Daughters of St. Paul. Popes of the Twentieth Century. 1983. Pauline Books and Media
Pollard, John F. The Unknown Pope. 1999. London: Georey Chapman

14

External links

Pope Benedict XVI. (German)

Vatican website: Benedict XV; texts of encyclicals
etc.
Tomb of Benedict XV Vatican Grottoes
New Catholic Dictionary: Benedict XV
Canonization of Joan of Arc: by Benedict XV
Memorial Page for Benedict XV
FirstWorldWar.com: Whos Who
The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Giacomo
Della Chiesa
Pathe News archive lm of Benedict XV

EXTERNAL LINKS

15

15
15.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Pope Benedict XV Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XV?oldid=665845674 Contributors: William Avery, Roadrunner, Ktsquare, Panairjdde~enwiki, Montrealais, Rickyrab, Infrogmation, Jtdirl, Gabbe, Tregoweth, Looxix~enwiki, Samuelsen, Angela,
JamesReyes, John K, WouterVH, Emperorbma, Dying, RickK, Tb, Haukurth, Pietro, Lord Emsworth, Fvw, Wetman, Proteus, RadicalBender, Robbot, Donreed, ZekeMacNeil, Auric, Hadal, SoLando, Ferkelparade, Bnn, Everyking, Jacob1207, Zumbo, Redux, Gugganij,
Utcursch, Abu badali, Quadell, Spatch, Williamb, Sharavanabhava, DanielZM, Jackiespeel, Neutrality, Coburnpharr04, Gerald Farinas,
Joyous!, D6, Solitude, Rich Farmbrough, Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters, Sahasrahla, Bender235, Bill Thayer, Infocidal, John Vandenberg,
.:Ajvol:., Americist, Supersexyspacemonkey, NickCatal, ADM, Titanium Dragon, Wtmitchell, Binabik80, Skyring, Adrian.benko, Dtobias, Crosbiesmith, Rorschach, Woohookitty, FeanorStar7, Bratsche, Grace Note, GregorB, Shanedidona, Paxsimius, BD2412, Josh Parris,
Rjwilmsi, Angusmclellan, Wikibofh, Lockley, BCV, Nomet, FlaBot, Ground Zero, HERMiT cRAB, BjKa, Str1977, Schmerguls, Mdolson22, Wlkernan, Gareth E Kegg, VViki, Chobot, Jaraalbe, Sharkface217, Harvzsf, Noble Skuld the Legend Killer, YurikBot, RobotE,
Snappy, RussBot, Briaboru, Gaius Cornelius, Odejea, Welsh, UDScott, Midnite Critic, Stijn Calle, BANi, Mlouns, Mike H., WrongAgain,
HisHoliness, Bota47, PaleAle~enwiki, StraightShooter, Wknight94, Sissyneck, Silverhorse, Fram, Ief, Philip Stevens, Morlesg, Thomas
Welbers, SmackBot, Unyoyega, Korossyl, Jacek Kendysz, Eskimbot, Hmains, Carl.bunderson, Nyikita, TimBentley, Casaubon~enwiki,
Oatmeal batman, GoodDay, EOZyo, Pnkrockr, Savidan, Dantadd, Ohconfucius, Eliyak, Rigadoun, Ccirulli, LCahill, RandomCritic, STL
Dilettante, 2T, MTSbot~enwiki, ShakingSpirit, Laurens-af, Tjtenor2, Courcelles, Adam sk, Angeldeb82, CmdrObot, Drinibot, Firman12,
MAlanH, Whereizben, Cavalcabo, Cydebot, MC10, JFreeman, Aldis90, Oike, Epbr123, Oerjan, Marek69, Darev, CharlotteWebb, Nick
Number, Seaphoto, Batteddy, Carolmooredc, Smith2006, Bridgeplayer, Manushand, ChristianBier, Dr mindbender, Richardson mcphillips,
Gndawydiak, VoABot II, Confuseddesi, Kuyabribri, Cat-ve, MetsBot, JaGa, Kask, Ustye, Il Dottore~enwiki, R'n'B, DrKiernan, Bogey97,
Numbo3, Didgeman, Troutsneeze, Mangwanani, Juliancolton, Lucifero4, JavierMC, Thismightbezach, VolkovBot, The Duke of Waltham,
WOSlinker, TXiKiBoT, Donatus, Hne123, The crazy british kid, Crazy British Kid, JhsBot, Drex15, NHRHS2010, EJF, SieBot, Alex
Middleton, Monegasque, Lightmouse, Bede735, Fratrep, G.-M. Cupertino, Aumnamahashiva, Chillum, Hooiwind, Iamwisesun, ImageRemovalBot, Sfan00 IMG, ClueBot, Eft94530, EoGuy, Marjaliisa, Joao Xavier, Xszcw, Geodyde, Estirabot, Sun Creator, Elizium23, Muro
Bot, Egmontaz, Ambrosius007, RogDel, Dthomsen8, Good Olfactory, TFBCT1, Surtsicna, Preskil, Yameogo, Bazj, Addbot, The Sage of
Stamford, Some jerk on the Internet, Mukmak, ProSaDomino, Al.lindahl, Et3481, Tide rolls, Lightbot, Kiril Simeonovski, Mtminchi08,
DanielDuda, Legobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Glatisant, Bunnyhop11, Santryl, Thomaq, Marauder40, Jim1138, Ulric1313, Materialscientist, Jcrct, Citation bot, ArthurBot, Xqbot, Jayarathina, SenuMeji, Millahnna, Prosequor, Tad Lincoln, GrouchoBot, RibotBOT, Platia,
Joaquin008, Erik9, Cchs28, LucienBOT, Theweirdestfreakyguy91, Pierre-Yves Schanen, Adlerbot, Jschnur, Full-date unlinking bot, English nol, Carolina cotton, TobeBot, Trappist the monk, BonifaciusVIII, Kennyannydenny, TjBot, Esoglou, EmausBot, Stebunik, Dewritech,
RA0808, Fex1993, CanonLawJunkie, Lateg, SporkBot, Brandmeister, ChuispastonBot, ClueBot NG, ATX-NL, SusikMkr, Snotbot, Frietjes, Kasirbot, Mannanan51, Gizgalasi, Sverceluz, ReformedArsenal, LoneWolf1992, IrisFancier, ChrisGualtieri, YFdyh-bot, Bryantmaquito, Dexbot, Indiasummer95, Mogism, BavonWW, CsDix, Sonanto, Newsreellover, LCS check, Unixbytes90, Evensteven, Lord
Sidious 82, Parmo22, Davplast, Tttt, Antrocent, Onuphriate, Lincean, Kevieman94, Bobby Martnen, JoeHebda, Superawesomeperson,
PointCliq, ChamithN, Maple 325, The Average Wikipedian, KasparBot, Fdsafdasfd and Anonymous: 218

15.2

Images

File:046CupolaSPietro.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg License: CC BY-SA

3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: MarkusMark
File:Bene15coronation1914.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Bene15coronation1914.jpg License:
Public domain Contributors: Vatican Cavaliere during coronation Original artist: Cavaliere G
File:BenedictPPXVSignature.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/BenedictPPXVSignature.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: http://orbiscatholicussecundus.blogspot.com/2012/04/study-of-papal-signatures.html Original artist:
Superawesomeperson
File:BenedictXVferrata1914.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/BenedictXVferrata1914.jpg License: ? Contributors:
1914 Book von Waal
Original artist:
Hofrat Hilsdorf Darmstadt
File:Benedict_XV_tomb.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Benedict_XV_tomb.jpg License: CC BYSA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: CanonLawJunkie
File:Benedicthorse.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Benedicthorse.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Pro Familia Original artist: Pro Familia Milano
File:Benedictxc1868.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Benedictxc1868.jpg License: Public domain
Contributors: Anton de Waal Original artist:
Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia
File:Benedictxvfamilyresidence.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Benedictxvfamilyresidence.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors: Anton de Waal Original artist: Anton de Waal
File:Benedictxvhandwriting.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Benedictxvhandwriting.jpg License:
Public domain Contributors: Antol de Waal Original artist: Anton de Waal
File:Benedikt_XV._als_KardinalJS.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Benedikt_XV._als_
KardinalJS.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Benedikt XV. Original artist: Anton de Waal, 1915
File:CoA_Benedetto_XV.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/CoA_Benedetto_XV.svg License: CC
BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Odejea

16

15

File:Coat_of_arms_Holy_See.svg Source:
cense: Public domain Contributors:

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Coat_of_arms_Holy_See.svg Li-

Bruno Bernhard Heim, Heraldry in the Catholic Church: Its Origin, Customs and Laws (Van Duren 1978 ISBN 9780391008731), p. 54;
Original artist: F l a n k e r
File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Holy_See.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Coat_of_arms_Holy_See.
svg License: Public domain Contributors:
Bruno Bernhard Heim, Heraldry in the Catholic Church: Its Origin, Customs and Laws (Van Duren 1978 ISBN 9780391008731), p. 54;
Original artist: F l a n k e r
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
File:Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg Source:
svg License: Public domain Contributors:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.

File:Coat of arms Holy See.svg Original artist: Cronholm144 created this image using a le by User:Hautala - File:Emblem of Vatican City
State.svg, who had created his le using PD art from Open Clip Art Library and uploaded on 13 July 2006. User talk:F l a n k e r uploaded
this version on 19 January 2007.
File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License: Cc-bysa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Gasparri.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Gasparri.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: ?
Original artist: ?
File:Pio1917.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Pio1917.jpg License: Public domain Contributors:
Pascalina Lehnert
Original artist:
Feuerreiter
File:PioXIIgernamia1917.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/PioXIIgernamia1917.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Pascalina Lehnert Original artist: Feuerreiter
File:PiusXbenedict_XV.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/PiusXbenedict_XV.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Vat Photo Original artist: G.<iuseppe> Felici, fotografo papale"; Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia
File:Pope_Benedict_XV_statue.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Pope_Benedict_XV_statue.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Rampolla_1913.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Rampolla_1913.jpg License: ? Contributors:
1914 Book von Waal
Original artist:
Hofrat Hilsdorf Darmstadt
File:SalusPopuliromanicrowned.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/SalusPopuliromanicrowned.jpg License:
CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors:
I created this work entirely by myself.
Original artist:
Ambrosius007 (talk)
File:Scherrer_jeanne_enters_orlean.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Scherrer_jeanne_enters_
orlean.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: http://www.dhm.de/ausstellungen/mythen/english/f12.html Original artist: Jean-Jacques
Scherrer
File:Symbol_book_class2.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Symbol_book_class2.svg License: CC
BY-SA 2.5 Contributors: Mad by Lokal_Prol by combining: Original artist: Lokal_Prol
File:Thomas_Aquinas_in_Stained_Glass.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Thomas_Aquinas_in_
Stained_Glass.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: Flickr Original artist: e3000
File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Wikisource-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau
File:Wilson_to_Benedict_English.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Wilson_to_Benedict_English.
jpg License: CC BY-SA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Davplast

15.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0