Benedict XV

Benedict XV (1854-1922), pope (1914-1922), who led the Church through World War I. He was born Giacomo della Chiesi, in Pegli, Italy. After receiving a doctorate in jurisprudence from the University of Genoa at the age of 21, he went to Rome to study theology and diplomacy. He was ordained a priest in 1878, created archbishop of Bologna in 1907, and elevated to the cardinalate in 1914. Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, he was elected pope. Benedict maintained a strict neutrality throughout the struggle and made frequent efforts to bring about a peace settlement and to aid war victims. During his rule, official relations were restored between the Vatican and the French government, and a British representative was sent to the Vatican for the first time since the 17th century. In 1917 he promulgated the new Codex Juris Canonici (Code of Canon Law).