Benedict XV’s Courage and Prophetism: A Necessary Historical Rescue

Abstract

The article intends to expose the boldness and, at the same time, the evangelical courage of Pope Benedict XV, who ruled the Church from 1914 to 1922, during the First World War, for which the pontiff launched several criticisms and exhortations for peace to the belligerents. , albeit unsuccessfully. Through bibliographic investigation in authors of ecclesiastical history, a brief account of the historical context in which Benedict XV was elected is made, with emphasis on the First World War, to highlight his performance in the face of the conflict. At the same time, his firmness in the writing of the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, in the context of missionary activities, is highlighted, which also ended up displeasing some wing of the Church for its firm posture when saying, for example, that no congregation owns a certain territory. , but he must settle there until a local clergy is formed. Analyzing the behavior of Benedict XV in the face of both situations, it appears that he was a pope who always knew how to tell the truth and did not worry about popularity, which is why he ended up becoming a forgotten or little explored character. In this sense, this text also seeks to rescue the tireless performance of Benedict XV and salute it, bringing him to the role of one of the important pontificates of the 20th century.