Religion · 1854–1922
Born: 21 November 1854 · Died: 22 January 1922 · Age at death: 67
Benedict XV died aged 67. He was born on 21 November 1854 and died on 22 January 1922.
Italian pope who led the Catholic Church through the First World War and tried in vain to broker peace
Did you know?He donated so much money to help war victims that the Vatican was almost bankrupt when he died.
Benedict XV was the pope of the First World War. Elected weeks after the war began, he called it "the suicide of civilised Europe". He declared the Vatican neutral and tried repeatedly to broker peace. His 1917 peace note was ignored by the warring powers. He organised help for prisoners of war and the wounded. He also promulgated the first Code of Canon Law. He died of pneumonia in 1922.
Pope Benedict XV (Latin: Benedictus PP. XV; Italian: Benedetto XV; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, Italian:; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922.
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Profile
Head of the Catholic Church, 1854–1922
Giacomo della Chiesa was born in Pegli, near Genoa, on 21 November 1854.
He was Archbishop of Bologna.
He was elected pope in September 1914.
He issued a peace note in 1917.
Career highlights
Did you know?Pope Benedict XVI chose his name partly in tribute to him.
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