Letter From Pope Benedict XV To Cardinal Maurin, Archbishop Of Lyon – 1919 – World War I, Vatican

Letter from Pope Benedict XV to Cardinal Maurin, Archbishop of Lyon – 1919 – The Great War, Vatican

An exceptionally rare pontifical letter (Apostolic Brief) issued by Pope Benedict XV (1854–1922), dated 15 January 1919, and addressed to Cardinal Louis-Joseph Maurin (1859–1936), Archbishop of Lyon.

Written only a few weeks after the Armistice of the First World War and at the opening of the Paris Peace Conference, this remarkable document provides an important testimony to the diplomatic thought and policy of the Supreme Pontiff. The text is written in the traditional diplomatic Latin of the Papal Chancery.

Transcription

Dilecto filio nostro
Aloysio Iosepho tit. SS. Trinitatis in Monte Pincio
S. R. E. presbytero cardinali Maurin
Archiepiscopo Lugdunensi

BENEDICTUS PP. XV

Dilecte Fili Noster, Salutem et Apostolicam Benedictionem.

Te amamus vehementer et de faustis ominibus et de indicii testimonio. A vero ceterum non abes: Nos enim bellum persecuti sumus iustitia duce et caritate comite. Haec muneris Nostri pars est. Sed non omnes, ut nosti, capiunt verbum istud. Nonnulli quae vera sunt non vident; quae falsa inconsiderate amplectuntur. Nos quidem, liceat uti verbis Apostoli: maledicimur et benedicimus; persecutionem patimur et sustinemus; blasphemamur et obsecramus, curam omnem in Eum abiicientes, qui Nos posuit suam regere Ecclesiam. Omina ominibus commutantes ex animo, Apostolicam Benedictionem, caelestium auspicem gratiarum, tibi, Dilecte Fili Noster, universaeque tuae dioecesi peramanter in Domino impertimus.

Datum Romae, apud S. Petrum, die XV Ianuarii MCMXIX, Pontificatus Nostri anno quinto.

BENEDICTUS PP. XV

Translation

To our beloved son Louis-Joseph, Cardinal-Priest of the title of the Most Holy Trinity on Monte Pincio, of the Holy Roman Church, Archbishop of Lyon.

Benedict XV, Pope.

To our beloved son, greetings and the Apostolic Blessing.

We hold you in the highest affection and rejoice both at the happy auguries and at the proof of your devotion. As for the truth, you have never departed from it. For our part, we have pursued our course throughout the war under the guidance of justice and with charity as our companion. Such is the proper duty of our office. Yet, as you know, not all are able to accept this message. Some fail to perceive what is true; others rashly embrace what is false. As for us, let us use the words of the Apostle: "When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer with prayer," casting all our cares upon Him who has appointed us to govern His Church. Exchanging your good wishes for ours with all our heart, we most lovingly impart in the Lord to you, our beloved son, and to your entire diocese, the Apostolic Blessing, a pledge of heavenly graces.

Given at Rome, at Saint Peter's, on the fifteenth day of January 1919, in the fifth year of Our Pontificate.

In this official letter, written barely two months after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, Benedict XV thanks Cardinal Maurin for his unwavering loyalty and responds to the expressions of support that the Archbishop had almost certainly conveyed to him at the end of the conflict.

The Pope firmly defends the course he pursued throughout the war, affirming that he acted "under the guidance of justice and with charity as our companion." Aware of the criticism directed at the Holy See by all the belligerent nations, he refers to the misunderstanding that surrounded his policy of strict neutrality and quotes the words of Saint Paul: "When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer with prayer," presenting these trials as an inherent part of the Church's mission.

This correspondence is highly representative of the pontificate of Benedict XV (1914–1922). From the outbreak of the Great War, the Pope refused to side with either coalition and repeatedly promoted diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving a negotiated peace. His position, misunderstood by both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, ultimately led to the diplomatic isolation of the Holy See, which was notably excluded from the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Versailles.

The present letter therefore stands as a genuine justification of Benedict XV's international policy, expressed in an official document addressed to one of the most influential French prelates of the period.

At once a historical, religious and diplomatic document, this remarkable piece eloquently reflects the legacy Benedict XV wished to leave regarding his actions at the conclusion of the First World War. It is of considerable importance for the history of Church–State relations, Vatican diplomacy, and the religious history of France through its distinguished recipient, Cardinal Louis-Joseph Maurin, Archbishop of Lyon.

Dimensions: 22.5 × 35.5 cm (large format, rather uncommon), laid and watermarked paper, "De La Rue & Co. Extra Superfine."

A document of the highest historical importance, exceedingly rare on the market, combining the history of the papacy, the First World War, and the diplomatic relations of the Holy See in the immediate aftermath of the conflict.

Price excludes shipping costs.

Police Register Reference: A144

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