Apr 20, 2005 7:47 am US/Eastern
Pope's Name Pays Homage To Benedict XV
Took Inspiration From An Anti-War Pontiff
VATICAN CITY (AP) ―
The last pope named Benedict guided the church during the dark years of World War I, espousing a policy of strict neutrality and pushing for peace through negotiations. To honor him, Joseph Ratzinger chose the same name.
Ratzinger told cardinals he wanted to pay homage to Benedict XV, known for tireless efforts to help refugees and reunite a world divided by what was then known as the Great War, an archbishop said.
The new pontiff, Benedict XVI, felt his namesake "had done much for reconciliation among peoples," Berlin Cardinal Georg Maximilian Sterzinsky told reporters Tuesday after attending the conclave. Ratzinger also was close to the late John Paul II— another peace-loving pontiff. John Paul openly opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Choosing a new name is a pontiff's first significant act in office, and it provides clues about the kind of leader he aspires to be.
Benedict XV, pontiff from 1914 to 1922, had the difficult task of providing leadership for Roman Catholic countries pitted against each other during World War I, each claiming a just fight and praying for victory.
His neutrality, and repeated protests against weapons like poison gas, angered both sides. He worked to help the war's innocent victims and came up with a seven-point peace plan. It failed, but some of his proposals were included in Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, the U.S. president's wartime call for peace in January 1918.
The Italian-born pope was punished for his neutrality by being excluded from 1919 talks at Versailles outside Paris, where a peace treaty was signed.
Elsewhere, his work was honored: Muslim Turkey erected a statue to him in Istanbul, honoring him as "the benefactor of all people, regardless of nation or creed."
John-Peter Pham, a Vatican expert who worked at the Holy See from 1992 to 2002, said Benedict XV was "in many respects the first modern pope."
"Benedict XV's efforts to mediate the Great War as well as his humanitarian outreach, while also embracing the Orthodox and Muslims, is what was for his time an unprecedented choice," said Pham, now a professor at James Madison University.
Ratzinger may also have been thinking of St. Benedict, a monk who died in the 6th century. The saint was the founder of Western monasticism.
An 18th century saint of the same name, Benedict Joseph Labre, was a wandering pilgrim who ended up destitute.
His feast day is April 16 -- Ratzinger's birthday. The newest Benedict turned 78 on Saturday.
The Italian version of Benedict, "Benedetto," means one who is blessed, and the name's Latin origin refers to a blessing.
The reigns of some of the other Benedicts, however, ended violently. During the 10th century, Benedict V was forcibly deposed by the troops of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, and Benedict VI was imprisoned and strangled by order of a rival pontiff, Boniface VII.
Benedict is one of a number of papal names of holy origin such as Clement ("mercy"), Innocent ("hopeful" as well as "innocent") and Pius ("pious"). John is the most popular, with 23 pontiffs taking that name. Two—John Paul I and John Paul II— used it in a double name. There have been 16 Gregories and, as of Tuesday, 16 Benedicts.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Stumble It!
Comments