 | Cardinal Mercier in the First World War: Belgium, Germany and the Catholic Church Church leaders and their contrasting opinions in theface of the Great War Cardinal Désiré-JosephMercier, Archbishop of Malines, was the incarnation of the Belgian resistanceagainst the German occupation during the First World War. With his famous pastoralletter of Christmas 1914 'Patriotisme et Endurance' he reached a wide audience,and gained international influence and respect. Mercier's distinct patriotic stance clearly determined his views ofnational politics, especially of the 'Flemish question', and his conflict withthe German occupier made him a hero of the Allies. The Germans did not alwaysknow how to handle this influential man of the Church. Pope Benedict XV did notalways approve of the course of action adopted by the Belgian prelate. Whereas Mercierjustified the war effort as a just cause in view of the restoration ofBelgium's independence, the Pope feared that "this useless massacre"meant nothing but the "suicide of civilized Europe". Through a criticalanalysis of the policies of Cardinal Mercier and Pope Benedict XV, this book shedsrevealing light on the contrasting positions of Church leaders in the face ofthe Great War. This publication isGPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content). |
