Cardinal Mercier in the First World War (Paperback)

Jan De Volder

ISBN 10: 9462701644 / ISBN 13: 9789462701649

Published by Leuven University Press, Leuven, 2018

About this Item

Paperback. Cardinal Desire-Joseph Mercier, Archbishop of Malines, was the incarnation of the Belgian resistance against the German occupation during the First World War. With his famous pastoral letter 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 of national politics, especially of the 'Flemish question', and his conflict with the Germanoccupier made him a hero of the Allies. The Germans did not always know how to handle this influential man of the Church. Pope Benedict XV did not always approve of the course of action adopted by the Belgian prelate. Whereas Mercier justified the war effort as a just cause in view of the restoration of Belgium's independence, the Pope feared that "this useless massacre" meant nothing but the "suicide of civilized Europe".Through a critical analysis of the policies of Cardinal Mercier and Pope Benedict XV, this book sheds revealing light on the contrasting positions of Church leaders in the face of the Great War.This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content). Church leaders and their contrasting opinions in the face of the Great War Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9789462701649

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cardinal Mercier in the First World War (Paperback)
• Publisher: Leuven University Press, Leuven
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9462701644
• ISBN 13: 9789462701649
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Archbishop of Malines, was the incarnation of the Belgian resistance against the German occupation during the First World War. With his famous pastoral letter 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 of national politics, especially of the 'Flemish question', and his conflict with the German
occupier made him a hero of the Allies. The Germans did not always know how to handle this influential man of the Church. Pope Benedict XV did not always approve of the course of action adopted by the Belgian prelate. Whereas Mercier justified the war effort as a just cause in view of the restoration of Belgium's independence, the Pope feared that "this useless massacre" meant nothing but the "suicide of civilized Europe".

Through a critical analysis of the policies of Cardinal Mercier and Pope Benedict XV, this book sheds revealing light on the contrasting positions of Church leaders in the face of the Great War.

This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

About the Author

Jan De Volder is a Belgian historian. Currently, he occupies the Cusanus Chair 'Religion, Conflict and Peace' of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Louvain (KU Leuven). He has a special interest in church and religion during World Wars I and II.