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| Pope Saint Pius X |
August 4th marked the 99th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. Pius X was reigning in the See of Peter and, while he feared that the fierce nationalism of the European countries would explode into a great conflict, he hoped that Christians would not resort to killing Christians. "I would gladly give my life if I could ransom the peace of Europe," he declared and died heartbroken eighteen days after the outbreak of war. While the "Great War" was senseless and led to the loss of a whole generation of young men, it also witnessed the actions of great men such as Benedict XV and his papal nuncio, Eugenio Pacelli (later Pius XII), and Blessed Karl of Austria.
The following is an excerpt from CTP's Light to the Nations II relating the event which ignited the conflagration.
Europe at War
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| Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie |
B
y 1914, Franz Josef had reigned for 65 years over Austria-Hungary—the third-longest reign in European history. Having come to the throne after the 1848 revolutions, Franz Josef had been a determined opponent of Liberal parliamentarian government. And though he eventually established a parliament for Austria and approved universal suffrage, Franz Josef remained what he called himself—the last of Europe’s traditional kings.
In his private life, Franz Josef had suffered many tragedies. In 1867, Mexican revolutionaries had executed his younger brother, Ferdinand Maximilian, who had become emperor of Mexico with the help of Emperor Napoleon III of France. Then, in 1889, Franz Josef’s only son and heir, Archduke Rudolf, committed suicide. Eight years later, an Italian anarchist assassinated the emperor’s wife, Elisabeth of Bavaria. To Franz Josef, a shy, lonely man with few friends, Elisabeth had given companionship, affection, and support. Suddenly, she was gone. “The world does not know how much we loved one another,” said Franz Josef.
Read the rest here.
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