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Show j HAD FILLED HIGH POSITIONS Pope Benedict Prominent In Church Counsels Before His Elevation to the Papal Throne. ! Pope Benedict XV rose to the su-! su-! preme head of the Catholic church I Sept. 6. 1014. less than six months after he was elevated to the cardlnal-t cardlnal-t ship. He was horn of noble parents at Pogll. near Genoa. Italy, Nov. 21, 1854. His father was Marquis Delia Chiesa. Educated nt Capronican college and the Academy of Ecclesiastics, he was ordained to the priesthood In 1S7S. He vn6 taken to Madrid, Spain, by Cardinal Rampolln, and for four years was secretary of the nunciature in Spain. In 1901 he was appointed con-suJtor con-suJtor of the holy office and In 1907 Pope IMus gave him the appointment of archbishop of the see of Bologna. He was made a eardlnal In May. 1914. Sadde-ned By Horrors of War. Pope Benedict was much affec'd by the horrors and sorrow of the World war and many times tried to bring about peace negotiation?. Geriiiaor'a violation of Belgium's neutrality Siled him with great sorrow and after the sinking of the I.us:tani. he telegraphed telegraph-ed the German emperor telling lrts abhorrence of the deed. Pop Benedict's first appeal for peace was issued one week after his coronation. The appeal failed to bring results, as did also his later plan for a Christmas truce. In January and In July, 1915, he again tried to bring about pence negotiations. In March, 1016, he repented his attempts and In May of the same year suggested that America should act as conciliator between be-tween the warring nations, nia note to President Wiisrci to this effect readied Washington when Germany and the L'niied States were involved In a diplomatic crisis. The Vatican approved ap-proved of President Wilson's pesco note In 191", but three months later the United States entered the war. Made Appeal for Peace. The Pope's most memorable appeal for peace was Issued In his own handwriting hand-writing on August S, 1017, and asked belligerent rulers to end the struggle. During the peace conference his ple:;s were Issued in behalf of weaker nations. na-tions. Just before the conference President Wilson had a private conference with Pope Benedict at the Vatican In which many questions of a social and International Inter-national nature were discussed. The settlement of the 700-yenr-old Irish problem was received with great pleasure by the pope, who Issued a message congratulating the principals In the negotl:st'ons. |