Mirovna inicijativa Pape Benedikta XV. godine 1917
Pope Benedict XV’s Peace Initiative Of 1917

Summary/Abstract: The three-year war seriously undermined religious solidarity on which Vatican’s political influence in the world was based. That is why Pope Benedict XV opted for a peace initiative hoping to find the base for a lasting peace. His sympathies lied with the Central Powers, so the Vatican’s peace note was composed in that vein. The note was supposed to be passed on by Great Britain to its allies. During these British-Vatican contacts, one had an impression that Great Britain was particularly interested in Belgian independence. The Vatican diplomacy strongly pressured Berlin to renounce Belgium as a stepping-stone to peace. The German military leadership was not in the mood for compromises regarding this, but on the basis of the Vatican’s counsel, the new German foreign minister Kühlmann tried to get into contact with Great Britain as the first step to universal peace talks. However, this attempt also led to an impasse because of the unreadiness of both warring parties to forego their war goals in favour of a compromising peace.

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