2013 pope biography benedict xv and appendix

On Sept. While his efforts for peace in the midst of the Great War were pivotal in his pontificate, his impact cannot be limited to those peace efforts. Having been elected shortly after the beginning of World War I, Benedict XV put into action a strong commitment to peace with strongly worded messages to the nations at war. The tradition of papal adherence to non-violence had begun under Bl.

Pius IX, who had promoted a culture of peace.

On August 1, - three years after the outbreak of WW1 - pope Benedict XV signed his famous peace note, urging the go.

Despite his constant efforts to avert the war, his voice was ignored by belligerent countries and the Holy See was not invited to take part to the peace conference held at Versailles in Benedict XV understood that the Holy See had to improve its diplomatic efforts: at the beginning of the war, the Holy See had diplomatic relations with only the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires — both of which collapsed during the world war.

After the war, the network of Vatican relations increased, and Benedict XV formed the basis of the modern network of nunciatures. The experience of First World War increased the Holy See's desire to separate from the Italian state, and this is the reason why the Holy See does not accept residential ambassadors who deal with Italy as well as with the Holy See.

When both Austria and Germany — then at war with Italy — withdrew their diplomatic representation, the Holy See found itself without German or Austrian interlocutors. The Holy See objected to ambassadors being withdrawn because while Italy might have been at war with Austria and Germany, the Holy See was not.

In the quarter century following Spoleto, no substantial developments had been made until the documentation relative to Benedict XV at the Vatican Archives.

Together with his diplomatic action, Benedict XV carried forward a huge humanitarian effort during the war. The Pope spent some 82 million lire of the time — roughly 8 billion dollars today — on the effort. The group made some , requests for information about prisoners; 40, requests for repatriation; and , communications to the families of prisoners.

Priests, apostolic nuncios and bishops also visited prisoner camps on the Pope's behalf. This effort is at the basis of the Holy See's humanitarian effort, which recently led Pope Francis to appoint Cardinal Fernando Filoni as his personal envoy to Iraq.