Who was Pope Benedict XV?
in 2005 sparked considerable interest in his namesakes. Among them was the last pope named Benedict, who reigned from 1914 to 1922 and is probably the least known of the 20th-century pontiffs. In fact, Prof. John F. Pollard’s 1999 biography of Benedict XV is appropriately entitled The Unknown Pope. World War I A former Vatican diplomat, Giacomo Cardinal Della Chiesa of Bologna, was elected pope on September 3, 1914, and took the name Benedict XV. The new pope immediately devoted his attention to World War I, which had broken out about a month earlier. Despite tremendous pressures, Benedict XV refused to take sides and maintained the Vatican’s strict neutrality. The pope sought to play the role of mediator between the Allies (France, Britain, Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria) and frequently appealed for the restoration of peace. Benedict’s neutrality outraged both sides, who accused him of sympathizing with their enemies.
