The New York herald., 1922-01-23
Pope Benedict XIV.

Pope Benedict XIV.
Pope BENEDICT XIV. will be remem-
bered in history as the Pontiff whose
term was coincident with the great
war and its Aftermath and who tried
as best he could to end the horror.
He failed. as did every other neutral
who made similar efforts. but he left
an impression Of earnestness which
will not be forgotten.
AS the world saw him BENEDICT
was unlike his predecessor, whose
outstanding characteristics were mag
netic in their very human simplicity.
But there was little opportunity for
BENEDICT to exhibit the simpler vir-
tues which endeared PIUs x. to the
Roman Catholic world. BENEDICT
came to the chair OF PETER at a time
when conditions demanded the quail
tiles which distinguished LEO XIII.
And If his mind did not match
in brilliancy that Of LEO at least
BENEDICT showed breadth of vision
and a grasp of world conditions
worthy of his position.
No Pope of modern times faced
such difficulties as those which met
Cardinal DELLA CHIEsA on his acces.
sion to the Papacy. The Vatican's
diplomatic prestige was at its lowest.
The spiritual difficulties which had
threatened to weaken the dogmas OF
the Catholic Church had been
promptly met; but the opinion OF the
world-that is, the world Of states
men and politicians, journalists and
publicists-had decided that the Pa
pacy was no longer a political fac
tor in the affairs of Europe and that
the shadows were closing on all the
old pomp and circumstance Of the
Vatican. 1t was not clear to European
politicians that the political at
titude of the Pope was, after all
merely a valuable prerogative and
that, even IL it were entirely lost
the spiritual power might grow even
stronger and attract men brought ur
under new democratic ideas.
Added to the political weakness, OF
the Vatican was the impossible sit
uation which it had to meet. In the
great war the Pope's own religious
followers were on both sides. Nearly
half the Teutons were his spiritual
adherents, and among the opposing
forces were millions holding the
same faith and under spiritual 10y.
atty to him. No Catholic believes
that the Pope is infallible except
in spiritual and moral matters, very
we'll defined; and In dealing with ma
terial questions though he COM
manded respect the Pope could not
command obedience.
II was predicted by those around
him that the war would end in the
flight of the Pope and his entourage
from Rome. The French Govern
ment had become hostile. 1t was well
known that the Emperor WILLIAM
detested the Papacy as the one power
in Germany which, through the party
of the Center, had stood against his
plan of absolute temporal and spir-
itual headship. The Quirinal was
apparently at open war with the
Vatican.
Pope BENEDICT met the emergency
without losing his dignity. He was
illuminated, naturally. There were
Teutons among his Cardinals and
among his encourage. There were
some Teutons about him who in their
zeal for their nationality tried to
compromise him. Before the end of
the war there came the terrible trag-
edy OF Caporettc, and this was used
as weapon against him and the
Church; but the facts were too
strong. The recent publication OF the
documents issued from the Vatican
during the war absolved BENEDICT
XIV. from any sympathy with Ger
man militarism. He protested early
in favor of Belgium. The echoes of
his famous peace letters are found
in some of the finest phrases of Mr..
WILSON. Some of the most important
points made during the Conference
on the Limitation Of Armament were
emphasized by the Pope.
Among the criticisms made OF his
course during the war there seems
to be only one that had any force
lie failed TO define ethically the
means by which legitimate warfare
might be carried en-.
Although the Pope failed to bring
the warning nations together with
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