''Ad beatissimi Apostolorum'' (Appealing for Peace) is an

encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally fr ...

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his deat ...

given at St. Peter's, Rome, on the

Feast of All Saints All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are kno ...

on November 1, 1914, in the first year of his Pontificate. The first encyclical written by Pope Benedict XV coincided with the beginning of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, which he labelled "the Suicide of Civilized Europe".

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Benedict had studied at the

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy ( la, Pontificia Ecclesiastica Academia, it, Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic ...

in Rome, and spent much of his career in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State. Benedict was elected pope September 3, 1914. The conclave itself was divided, not only politically, but the cardinals views as how to address the issue of

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

.Castillo, Dennis A., "A Broken World: Benedict XV’s efforts for peace during the First World War", ''America'', July 21, 2014
/ref> Shortly upon being elected, the pope "implored Kings and rulers to consider the floods of tears and of blood already poured out, and to hasten to restore to the nations the blessings of peace." In maintaining neutrality and refusing to condemn either side, "he was condemned by the Allies as the German pope and by the Central Powers as the French pope."

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Benedict described the combatants as the greatest and wealthiest nations of the earth, stating that "they are well-provided with the most awful weapons modern military science has devised, and they strive to destroy one another with refinements of horror. There is no limit to the measure of ruin and of slaughter; day by day the earth is drenched with newly shed blood and is covered with the bodies of the wounded and of the slain."Philpot, Terry. "World War I's Pope Benedict XV and the pursuit of peace", ''National Catholic Reporter'', July 19, 2014
/ref> In light of the senseless slaughter, the pope pleaded for "peace on earth to men of good will" (Luke 2:14), insisting that there are other ways and means whereby violated rights can be rectified. Benedict viewed the war as symptomatic of much greater ills pervading society. He saw the origin of the evil in a neglect of the precepts and practices of Christian wisdom, particularly a lack of love and compassion. He saw

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...

, nationalism, racism, and

class warfare Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The for ...

as characteristic of the age. "Thus we see the absence from the relation of men of mutual love with their fellow men; the authority of rulers is held in contempt; injustice reigns in relations between the classes of society; the striving for transient and perishable things is so keen, that men have lost sight of the other and more worthy goods they have to obtain."Pope Benedict XV. ''Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum'', §5, November 1, 1914, Libreria Editrice Vaticana
/ref> "Never perhaps was there more talking about the brotherhood of men than there is today. … But in reality never was there less brotherly activity amongst men than at the present moment. Race hatred has reached its climax; peoples are more divided by jealousies than by frontiers; within one and the same nation, within the same city there rages the burning envy of class against class; and amongst individuals it is self-love which is the supreme law overruling everything." In December 1914, Benedict attempted to persuade the parties to observe a Christmas truce, “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” Although ignored, there were informal, unauthorized truces along parts of the front line.

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* {{Authority control Motu proprio of Pope Benedict XV 1914 in Christianity 1914 documents 20th-century Christian texts Holy See Latin words and phrases Papal encyclicals November 1914 events

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