"Benedict XV (1914-22) is the least known of the twentieth-century Popes, yet one of the most important. Throughout the First World War, he sought both to prevent the spread of hostilities and to encourage the peace initiatives of other powers. During his pontificate he pursued …
Best known for his efforts to end World War I, Benedict XV was the first contemporary pope to assume the role peacemaker, a role that has persisted in the papacy since. Although Benedict's 1917 Peace Note was rejected by officials, he went on to help establish Save the Children …
This is the history of the papacy under three popes, Benedict XV (1914-58), Pius XI (1922-39), and Pius XII (1939-58), who faced the strains imposed on the worldwide Church by total war-two world wars and the Cold War. The totalitarian challenges of fascism, Nazism, and Communis…