| Ad beatissimi Apostolorum Latin for 'To the Chair of the Prince of the Apostles' Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV | |
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| Signature date | 1 November 1914 |
| Subject | Appealing for peace |
| Number | 1 of 12 of the pontificate |
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Ad beatissimi Apostolorum is an encyclical of Pope Benedict XV given at St. Peter's, Rome, on the Feast of All Saints on November 1, 1914, in the first year of his Pontificate. The first encyclical written by Pope Benedict XV coincided with the beginning of First World War, which he labelled "the Suicide of Civilized Europe".
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."[1]
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.[2]
The origin of the evil is a neglect of the precepts and practices of Christian wisdom, particularly a lack of love and compassion. Jesus Christ came down from Heaven for the very purpose of restoring among men the Kingdom of Peace, as He stated, "A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another."[3] This message is repeated in John 15:12, in which Jesus says, "This is my commandment that you love one another."[4] Materialism, nationalism, racism, and class warfare are the characteristics of the age instead, so Benedict XV described:
- "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 over-ruling everything."[5]
See also
Notes
References
- Pope Benedict XV (1 November 1914), Ad beatissimi Apostolorum: Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV appealing for peace to our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See, Vatican Website