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Historical events that repeat themselves
LLast January 22nd was the centenary of the death of Pope Benedict XV and those who are interested in history would have dealt with this. But the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on February 24, a cruel war in the heart of Europe, brought this pope, who during his pontificate, experienced the terrible drama of the First World War, back into dramatic relevance.
After he was elected on 3 September 1914, he dedicated himself to healing the wounds of the ongoing war, to seeking channels of dialogue between the enemy fronts and to give relief to suffering peoples and also to soldiers crushed by a cruel conflict. So first: dialogue of peace, always and with anyone, without becoming discouraged and without considering any door closed. Second: food, medicines, any help to give a little hope to those who were desperate. He fought mercilessly against a single wall: the war itself. It is his formula with which every war is nailed down without the possibility of redemption: useless massacre! In a note that he sent on 1 August 1917 to the nations in arms he expressed the "dear and sweet hope of reaching as soon as possible the cessation of this terrible struggle, which every day appears more and more useless massacre".
But Benedict XV also knew of the superhuman difficulties humanity must face in eradicating war. In fact, man succumbs to the temptation of conflict and only divine help can give concrete reality to the desire for lasting peace. He then promoted repeated prayer initiatives to ask for the gift of peace. On 5 May 1917, in a letter to his Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, he established that the invocation "Regina pacis, ora pro nobis”. Maybe it will seem like an insignificant thing! Yet this small invocation to the Queen of Peace is accompanying us in these days of fear and worry. How much hope it gives us!
It is also necessary to remember that Benedict XV, a few days after the initiative of the Litany, wrote a letter (Dum acerbae lacrymae of 15 June 1917) to the Director of the Pious Union of the Transit of Saint Joseph, Don Cesare Pedrini, to establish the Missa perennis, in order to help with the Holy Mass the many soldiers and civilians who fell (and fall!) victims of the weapons. He wrote to Don Pedrini words that touch us deeply: «Thousands of beloved children, who are about to cross the threshold of eternity, make the echo of their languid voice reach our heart, invoking the help of a prayer for the happy passage to eternal life. And we console ourselves when we reflect that the Pious Union of the Transit of St. Joseph was established to provide spiritual aid to the dying poor."
In the new climate of war, which has rudely replaced the fear of the pandemic, all of this is pressingly relevant!