New Britain herald., 1922-01-21

| manc prerogative was on July 2S,
 1915, the first anniversary of the war. when he issued an appeal to all rulers,
 declaring that blessed be he who first | extends the olive branch and tenders his hand to the enemy in offering his reasonable condition of peace."
 Advised Powers to Quit | In March, 1916, the Pope again reiterated his prayer for the dawn of q new and better day. Each belli- gerent should clearly state his de- sires," he said, but should be ready ] to make the necessary sacri- fees of pride and particular interests" Previously Benedict had written to the late Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria asking him to shorten the war" and likewise, sounded the then Emperor of Germany as to the terms upon which he would lay down the gage of battle.
 In May, 1916, Monsignor Bonzano. papal delegate to Washington. de- 1 ilivered to President Wilson a message, from the Pope in which he intimated 1 that America might volunteer to con- ciiate the European belligerents The note came at a time when the United States and Germany were in the midst of a diplomatic crisis and MT. Wilson, in his reply, did not respond to the pontiffs suggestions for bringing about peace. The next communication from the Vatican to the White House came on January 16, 1917, and con- tained the approval by Benedict of the presidents peace note. Three months later the United States had resorted to the arbitrament of arms and entered the struggle on the side | of the Allies as On August 8. 1917, still' hopeful of saving the world from a veritable cat jaclysm, Pope Benedict issued in his own handwriting his famous appeal to the nations, exhorting the belligerept rulers to end the war for the sake of humanity.
 Wanted Belgium Evacuated.
 One passage read: AS to the dam- ages to be repaired and as to the war |eXpenses, we see no other means of solving the question than by submit ting as a general principle complete and reciprocal conformation, which would be justified. moreover by the immense benefit to be derived from disarmament, so much so that no one will understand the continuation of a similar carnage, solely for reasons of an economic order" The Pope, how ever, recommended the evacuation of Belgium by the Germans, self -deter- imitation and freedom of small na- tons. Earlier in that year I917) he had warned the German and Austrian rulers that ruthless submarine policy would alienate the sympathy of | all neutras. When Berlin put out one of her innumerahle peace feel ers," Benedict in reply, insisted Ger many must stop her deportation of Belgian civilians and repatriate all exiles. In September 1918, the Vati- can finally announced it would take steps toward bringing about peace only when invited to do so by both groups of belligerents. l Pained by the shelling of Paris by the German long range guns in the spring of 1918, Pope Benedict sent protest to Emperor Charles of Austria and to the Berlin government against what he characterized as "a wanton | massacre"
 The Pope's qualification over the capture of Jerusalem by the Allies un- der the British General Allenby caus- ed bitter comment in the German press. According to the Rome Mess agero on Dec. IS, 1917. few days after the fall of the Holy City, he warned Christian states against aid- ing the Turks in recapturing it.
 Peace on Christian Principles.
 Pope Benedict's attitude toward the Peace Conference of 1919 was said to have been one of fatherly soicitude. Early the previous December, in a letter to President Wilson, he pleaded for aid on behalf of oppressed na- tionalities and later committed the church of which he was the head to do all in it's power to support the decisions of the delegates at Ver- sailles'' In all of his messages and addresses he expressed the hope that peace would be based upon Christian principles.
 While the peoples of every land were suffering in some form the rig ors of war. the Pope personally ob- served all the rules for food con- servation formulated by the Italian authorities and with his own hand or dered the Vatican on food card ra- tions which continued until the end of the conflict
 Always abstemious in eating and drinking, Benedict XIV observed even greater simplicity at the table during the troublous days of his pontificate. Visitors have said that he lived as plainly as the poorest contributors of l Peters Pence.
 Born at Pcgli, Italy.
 Giacomo della Chiesa, the spiritual head of 300,000,000 Catholics, was l born of noble line at Pegli, Italy, on 1 November 21, 1854. His father was the Marchese della Chiesa (pronounc- | ed keeaza). He received his educa- ton at the Capronican College and later attended the Academy of Ec- clesiastics. Ordained to the priest hood in 1878. he soon attracted the attention of Cardinal Rampolla. who under Pope Leo XIII was the Papal Secretary of State. He accompanied Rampolla to Madrid in 1883 when his patron was Nuncio, remaining there