Pope Benedict XV (Latin:Benedictus PP. XV;Italian:Benedetto XV, 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922), bornGiacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, was anItalian priest of theRoman Catholic Church and the259thPope from 1914 until his death in 1922.[1]
His pontificate was largely overshadowed byWorld War I.[2]
Benedict made efforts to encourage peace in World War I. He refused to denounce either side.[5] In 1918, Pope Benedict was excluded from the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, despite his entreaties to be made part of the talks.[4]
Benedict XV fell ill withpneumonia in early January 1922.[4] He died on 22 January 1922.[7] The Italian Government lowered its flags in his honor; Benedict was the first pope to be honored in this way.[6]
"... 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."
↑Note onordinal numbering:Popes Benedict XI–XVI are really the 10th–15th popes with that name. This is because Benedict X is nowparsed as anantipope; but during the reign of Benedict XI, this was not recognized. The "true" or actual fourteenth pope Benedict identified himself with the ordinal number XV. In other words, the numbering of popes after the 10th Benedict needs to be explained -- comparePopes Boniface VIII–IX.
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