Vatican had greatly increased. France, England, the United States, Serbia, and Italy, on the other hand, were entirely without any official representatives at the Vatican. Altogether, the Central Powers paid great attention to the political interests of the Vatican, while the Western States were inclined to regard it far more as a moral or spiritual factor. This was a great mistake on their part. It never was, and never will be, the Vatican’s wish to renounce its political organization and its political influence. In this respect Benedict XV was a typical Pope. He systematically aimed at promoting the Papal authority in international politics. He was anxious to secure a share in the peace negotiations, and protested against Article XV of the London Pact, to which I have referred above. He would also have liked to obtain recognition of the Vatican as a political power through the membership of the League of Nations.
It was therefore a mistake for the States of Western Europe to expect that the attitude of the Vatican would be dictated by the spiritual interests of the Catholic Church. Benedict XV took the point of view that the Papal See could perform its spiritual mission effectively and independently, only if it had sufficient authority and political influence, and for that reason during the war he subordinated its spiritual mission to its political interests.
Such was the struggle which the Vatican itself waged during the war. I think I may say that as far as spiritual matters went the Vatican was on the losing side. By giving precedence to its political interests, it associated itself, although in a hesitant and guarded manner, with those who were the representatives of power and of the materialistic proclivities existing in the pre-war period, as embodied in their method of warfare, in their system of politics and diplomacy, and in their war aims. If the Vatican had been guided by its higher spiritual interests it would have sided with those who proclaimed respect for international agreements and the removal of autocratic tendencies.
Post-war events have shown that the Vatican did not lose by the victory of the Allies. This is a further proof that its policy during the war was an erroneous one, both morally and politically. This explains why the Vatican was so astonished at the defeat of the Central Powers, since until the very last moment it did not believe that such an eventuality was possible. It had assisted the Habsburg Empire right up to its downfall,
