Pope Benedict XV
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Pope Benedict XV was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely focused on World War I and its political, social, and humanitarian consequences
Portrait by Nicola Perscheid, 1915
The birthplace of Giacomo della Chiesa in Pegli
Benedict XV at the age of 12.
Pope Pius X consecrates his future successor Pope Benedict XV as Archbishop Giacomo della Chiesa in the Vatican on 22 December 1907.
Pope Pius XI
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Pope Pius XI was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of Vatican City upon its creation on 11 February 1929.
Pope Benedict XV
…of Our Lady of Fatima occurred in Fatima, Portugal, apparitions that would be declared "worthy of belief" in 1930 during the papacy of his successor, Pius XI. The national antagonisms between the warring parties were accentuated by religious differences before the war, with France, Italy and Belgium being…
Photograph by Nicola Perscheid, c. 1922
The parents of Pius XI
The young Ratti as a newly ordained priest.
Ratti (centre) circa 1900 in the Alps on a tour.