Concise History of the Catholic Church Notes

World War I Era

• Benedict XV was very critical of the war

• After the war, Benedict XV tried to mediate the conflicts between countries

• His pontificate was dominated by World War I

Pope Pius XI (1922-1939)

• Elected after WWI

The Lateran Treaty

• Resolved the Roman Question

  • The papacy recognized the Italian state, and Italy recognized papal sovereignty over Vatican City.

The Rise of Fascism

• The papacy was very concerned about the rise of fascism in Italy

  • Pius XI negotiated with Mussolini to ensure the Church's role in Italian life

• Pius XI was also concerned about the rise of Nazism in Germany

The Spanish Civil War

• The Spanish Civil War was a conflict between the Republicans and the Nationalists

  • The Republicans were supported by the Soviet Union and the Nationalists were supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy

• The Church supported the Nationalists because they were seen as defenders of the faith

Challenges in Germany

• Pius XI confronted challenges from the Nazi regime

  • Mit Brennender Sorge (With Burning Anxiety) condemned Nazism (1937), which was written in German

The United States and WWII

• In the United States there was the rise of suspicion, fear, and hostility toward Catholics

  • The election of Al Smith as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in 1928 triggered deep-seated anti-Catholicism.

Pope Pius XII (1939-1958)

• Pius XII faced pressures during World War II from all sides

  • Pacelli worked in the Vatican Secretariat of State, then as papal nuncio in Germany, and was familiar with Germany