The death of Pope Pius X and the election of Benedict XV in the atmosphere of the start of the First World War

Abstract

This article deals with the death of Pope Pius X and the 1914 conclave, where his successor, Benedict XV, was elected, with these events put in the context of the start of the First World War. Facts are presented that testify that Pius X foresaw the war in Europe, and then we describe his reactions and standpoints on the eve of and immediately after the start of the First World War. The emphasis is put on the devastating effect the start of the war had on Pius X, who passed away less thana month after the war started. After a brief overview of the new rules for holding conclaves, proscribed by Pius X himself, we present data about the holding of general congregations of cardinals before the start of the conclave, as well as the data on the three most likely candidates for the new pope, with special attention given to the factors that affected the mood and standpoints of cardinals. After brief data about the attendants of the conclave, we describe its course with detailed data about the votes in each of the ballots, conflicts between cardinals and the election of the new pope, who took the name Benedict XV. At last, we describe the first gestures and first messages of peace of the new pope.