pope

Pope Benedict XV (Latin: Benedictus PP. XV, Italian: Benedetto XV; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I and its political, social and humanitarian consequences in Europe. Between 1846 and 1903, the Church experienced its two longest pontificates in history, up to that point. Together Pius IX and Leo XIII ruled for 57 years. In 1914, the Cardinals choose Della Chiesa at the age of 59, indicating their desire for another long-lasting pontificate at the outbreak of World War I, which he labeled “the suicide of civilized Europe.” The war and its consequences were the main focus of Benedict. He declared the neutrality of the Holy See and attempted from that perspective to mediate peace in 1916 and 1917. Both sides rejected his initiatives. German Protestants rejected any “Papal Peace” as insulting. French politician Georges Clemenceau regarded the Vatican initiative as anti-French. [The current] Pope Benedict XVI showed his own admiration for Benedict XV following his election to the Papacy on 19 April 2005.

LOC -- there is a misspelling in your title -- should be "della" not "Delia".

Evil.

Thanks trialsanderrors for the brief biography and link, and thanks Wystan for noting the misspelling. We'll make the correction the next time we update the record.

To be perfectly accurate, it should be della, not Della, "della Chiesa" meaning "of the church". Quite fitting surname for a pope.

One does have to wonder where they got the idea that the Papal emblem looked like that. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_regalia_and_insignia

These could be former Yale football players of the Class of 1908, in a skit at commencement, 1914, satirizing reports of injuries sustained by lightly-padded players of the era in rough-and-tumble play. In 1902, for example, college play was so rough that several players died, while others were severely injured -- a crisis that provoked intervention by then-President Theodore Roosevelt. (The 18th-century militia outfits were 1908's costume du jour, and had no connection with the gridiron theme.) Other Bain/LOC photos of the 1914 Yale Class Day activities: