2014-07-25 15:46:00

World War I and Vatican diplomacy


(Vatican Radio) While events to mark the centenary of the First World War began on June 28, 2014, the date of the assassination of the heir to the throne of the Austro- Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, the first shots of this conflict were fired a month later on July 28.  

Pius X, the pope of the time, was to die on August 20 of this same year, they say of a broken heart because of the senseless slaughter of this war. He was succeeded by Benedict XV, a former Vatican diplomat who found himself leading the Catholic Church at a crucial time in its history.

Veronica Scarisbrick asks historian Professor John Pollard, author of ‘Benedict XV and the Pursuit of Peace’ about this pope’s attempts to prevent the spread of hostilities and encourage peace initiatives. In a special way she asks him about the role of Vatican diplomacy at the time of this ‘Great War.

Listen to Veronica Scarisbrick’s interview with Professor John Pollard: 








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