
Benedict XV
The Pope of Peace
John Francis Pollard(Author)
Burns & Oates Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 15. May 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-86012-408-5 (ISBN)
Description
Benedict XV is one of the least known Popes of the 20th century, but one of the most important. Elected in 1914 after the outbreak of the First World War he dedicated his Papacy to achieving peace throughout Europe. In August 1917 he offered a 'Peace Note' to the warring powers to bring about the cessation of hostilities, engaged in humanitarian activities and helped found the Save the Children Fund. At the end of his pontificate he had established peace-making diplomacy as a normal function of the papacy. Benedict sought to heal the wounds created by the 'Modernist crisis' in the reign of his predecessor, Pius X, but only after the end of the War was he able to fully concentrate on matters within the church. He promulgated the Code of Canon Law and despite his innate conservatism he took up progressive positions on both the Eastern Rite Churches and Catholicism's missionary outreach. He died relatively young, yet his reign is one of the most important in the twentieth Century. This is the first biography of Pope Benedict XV published in English in over forty years.
The author has made use of hitherto unavailable archival sources, particularly those of the Vatican and the previously unpublished private papers of his family.
The author has made use of hitherto unavailable archival sources, particularly those of the Vatican and the previously unpublished private papers of his family.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is clearly the fruit of many years' careful work amongst the primary sources in Rome and elsewhere and I warmly recommend it." - New Directions "This is an important book and it deserves to be read by all those who are seriously interested in modern papal and modern Italian history." - The Catholic Historical Review "A serious and readable study of this regrettably overlooked 20th-century Pope."-Library Journal "An interesting and informative biography of an important and unjustifiably obscure historical figure."-BooklistMore details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Edition type
New edition
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-86012-408-5 (9780860124085)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification