Umberto Benigni

In the final years of the pontificate of Pius X, that is during the Modernist crisis, the Catholic Integralist circles linked to Umberto Benigni's Sodalitium Pianum were characterized by a marked anti-Jesuitism. Suspected of "liberalism" and "modernizzantismo", "semi-modernism", the Society of Jesus became the object of frequent attacks. This contribution aims to shed light on the attitude taken by the Society itself, and in particular by its General Franz Xaver Wernz, in the face of Integralist anti-Jesuitism, thus initiating exploration of the problem of the relationship between religious Orders and modernism/anti-modernism. To this end, some particularly indicative cases are analysed: that of the Jesuit journals "Stimmen aus Maria Laach" (Germany), "Études" (France) and "La Civiltà Cattolica" (Italy), as well as that of the Austrian Jesuits grappling with the accusations of the Integralist newspaper "Österreichs katholisches Sonntagsblatt".

Since 1913 Mgr. Umberto Benigni sought to obtain a canonical approval of the Sodalitium pianum, a formal commendation that was several times procrastinated because of the presence of «some controversial sides» in the statutes. Two days later Pius X’s death Benigni terminated the organization that was secretly re-established «on the simple basis of a friendly agreement». The Sodalitium pianum kept on exercising a «deaf influence» against Benedict XV until 8 December 1921, when Benigni was obligated by the Congregation of Council to declare «permanently dead the moribund Sodalizio piano». Nonetheless, its phantom continued to linger during Achille Ratti’s pontificate.

On August 1, 1917 – three years after the outbreak of WW1 – pope Benedict XV signed his famous peace note, urging the governments of the belligerent Powers to seek a diplomatic solution to their disputes and stop the "useless massacre". In order to commemorate the event and to define the place of this "forgotten pope" in twentieth-century history, on November 3-5, 2016, the Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII (Fscire) hosted an international conference, entitled “Benedict XV in the world of the useless massacre”, in which more than a hundred historians from all over the world participated. The aim of the initiative, supported by the Historical and Scientific Committee for Italy’s National Anniversaries, is to shed light on the key issues of this pontificate, from Giacomo Della Chiesa’s education in the theological seminary in Genua to his heritage and memory all along the twentieth century. The volume resulting from this conference provides a comprehensive and systematic reference work about a key figure in Church history that has all too often been neglected.

Sino dal 1913 e a più riprese mons. Umberto Benigni si adoperò per ottenere dalla Santa Sede la «sospirata approvazione» canonica del suo Sodalizio Piano, volto a «collaborare all’azione cattolica fedele alle direzioni pontificie e a combattere quanto ad esse si oppone». Nonostate tre autografi laudativi ricevuti da Pio X dal 1911 al 1914, questa formale approvazione fu di volta in volta procastinata, trovandosi sempre negli statuti presentati «qualche lato discutibile».
Due giorni dopo la morte di papa Sarto, “le circostanze” imponevano alla Dieta del Sodalizio di sciogliere l’organizzazione. Tuttavia, l’8 ottobre 1914, con lettera “confidenzialissima, da bruciare” Benigni comunicava ai Sodales la ripresa delle attività «sulla semplice base di un’amichevole intesa». Così, mentre Benigni continuava ad insistere presso il cardinale De Lai per ottenere l’approvazione degli Statuti, il Sodalitium Pianum continuava ad esercitare una «sorda influenza» contro Benedetto XV (aspetto questo che verrà approfondito da Nina Valbousquet).
In assenza della pratica originale della Congregazione del Concilio, ad oggi irreperibile, possiamo solo ipotizzare le ragioni per cui l’8 dicembre 1921, dopo un’inchiesta e sollecitato dal card. prefetto Sbarretti, Benigni dichiarava «definitivamente morto l’agonizzante Sodalizio Piano». Il suo fantasma, tuttavia, continuerà ad alleggiare durante il pontificato di Achille Ratti.