Top 10 Popes Who Made The World A Better Place

Top 10 Popes Who Made The World A Better Place

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The Catholic Church has been at the heart of several recent scandals. From child abuse to corruption, the Vatican has quite rightly come under scrutiny for its role in heinous abuses of power. But, as well as an institution riddled with deceit, the Catholic Church can also be a force for good.
Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ established the papacy with Saint Peter as the first Pope; since then numerous popes have overseen positive and stabilising changes. Pope Benedict XV is famous for his work alleviating the impact of the First World War. In the sixteenth century, Pope Pius IV helped reshape Rome, most notably improving the city’s water supply. And, of course, Pope Leo I earned the name Leo the Great for dissuading Attila the Hun from invading Italy. Here are ten popes who, in their own way, made the world a better place. 10 Crazy Badass Popes 10 Pope Benedict XV, the Pope of Peace The First World War had barely been going for a month when Pope Benedict XV became head of the Catholic Church. The Genoa-born holy man was elected to the Vatican’s top spot in September 1914 following the death of Pope Pius X. He had only been a cardinal for four months at the time. As an archbishop, Benedict had developed a strong distaste for global conflict. It was his belief that the church should act as a peacemaker and help alleviate suffering. He was particularly disgusted by World War I, which he described as “the suicide of civilized Europe.” In fact, he spent over half his papacy attempting to bring the war to an end. In December 2014, he urged the warring countries to hold a truce over Christmas, during which he hoped they could negotiate for peace. Although a truce was never officially called, many troops along the Western front did informally put down their weapons for the festive season. He also used the Vatican to reunite prisoners of war with their loved ones, spending some 82 million lire on relief.
Benedict believed that true peace would involve an end to global hostilities and that, after the war, no side should claim compensation. Although he welcomed the end of the war, he claimed that the Treaty of Versailles was “vengeful” and that it did not constitute true peace, only a pause in the bloodshed.
In 1920, Muslim Turks built a statue of him in Istanbul, calling him “the great pope of the world tragedy … the benefactor of all people, irrespective of nationality or religion.” Two years later, Pope Benedict XV died suddenly from pneumonia, and went on to be remembered as “the Pope of Peace.” 9 Pope Pius IV who updated Rome’s water supply Giovanni Angelo Medici was born in Milan around the turn of the sixteenth century. He went on to become pope at the age of sixty. After a four-month selection process, he was elected on Christmas Day 1559. Pope Pius IV resided over the Vatican for the best part of six years.
During that time, he made several improvements to the city of Rome, most notably upgrading the water supply. Pius also instructed Michelangelo to build the basilica S. Maria degli Angeli, where his remains are now buried. After his death, the scholar Muratori described him as a man who “had faults (who is without them?)” but who will be remembered for having “enriched Rome by the building of so many fine edifices.” 8 Pope Benedict XIV and his learned institutions Pope Benedict XIV was one of the most esteemed Catholic leaders of the eighteenth-century so-called “Enlightenment” period. An intelligent scholar, he was born to a noble family in Bologne and served as pope from 1740 to 1758. During that time, he set up four academies for art, science, and religion. He would lecture himself at one of these schools every Monday. He was also known for his generosity to the poor, often wandering into deprived parts of Rome and happily chatting to the locals.
At a time when the influence of the Catholic Church was waning, Benedict was highly respected across Europe. Celebrated French writer Voltaire even dedicated one of his works to Pope Benedict XIV – the tragic play Mahomet...