January 4, 1919: The 1st Meeting Between a President and a Pope

There is no known photograph of the meeting.

January 4, 1919: For the 1st time, a sitting President of the United States meets a reigning Pope, face to face.

It was during the 1st visit of a President to Europe. While Theodore Roosevelt had visited the building of the Panama Canal in 1906, this was the 1st time a President had left the Western Hemisphere. Woodrow Wilson was heading there for the Paris Peace Conference in the aftermath of World War I.

Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa became Pope Benedict XV on September 3, 1914, about a month into the war, which he called "the suicide of civilized Europe." He tried to get the belligerents to make peace, but it was no use: German Protestants rejected any "Papal Peace" as insulting, while the French Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau, regarded the Vatican initiative as being anti-French.

Having failed with diplomatic initiatives, Benedict focused on humanitarian efforts to lessen the impacts of the war, such as attending prisoners of war, the exchange of wounded soldiers, and food deliveries to needy populations in Europe. After the war, he repaired the difficult relations with France, which re-established relations with the Vatican in 1921.

Cardinal James Gibbons, the Archbishop of Baltimore and a friend of Wilson's, helped secure a meeting between the President and the Pope. The Cardinal had sent a letter to the President imploring him to visit the Pope, after learning that Wilson was to go to Europe.

Wilson was accompanied by the Pontifical North American College rector, Charles O'Hearn. Benedict took Wilson by the hand, and led him into the study for their meeting, with the Pope later presenting Wilson with a gift: A mosaic of St. Peter. An interpreter had to be present for the meeting, since the Pope was speaking in French, and Wilson only spoke English.

After presenting his personal physician, Admiral Cary Grayson, Wilson told Benedict, "This is the man who keeps me well." Benedict said, "Apparently, he has done a splendid job." (No one, including Benedict, with the exception of Wilson and Grayson, knew that Wilson was lying.) The Pope blessed the entourage, despite Wilson's slight confusion, after the Pope assured Wilson his blessing did not discriminate against those of other faiths, since Wilson was a Presbyterian, and the son of a minister.

However, there was friction between the two during their private audience. Benedict wanted to be involved in the discussions at Versailles, but Wilson disagreed with this. In the end, the leaders of the victorious Allies got their way, and the Pope was not involved.

As things turned out, neither man lived much longer. Pope Benedict XV came down with influenza, which turned into pneumonia, and died on January 22, 1922. One of the younger Popes, he was only 67. Wilson suffered a stroke later in 1919, and never fully recovered, dying on February 3, 1924, at the same age.

There would not be another meeting between a sitting President and a reigning Pope until December 6, 1959, when Dwight D. Eisenhower met John XXIII at the Papal residence at the Apostolic Palace. Every President since "Ike" has met with a Pope at least once.

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January 4, 1919 was a Saturday. Baseball and football were out of season. Pro basketball barely existed. There was 1 game played in the NHL: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators, 5-2 at the Jubilee Arena in Montreal. The Canadiens' goals were scored by Newsy Lalonde, Odie Cleghorn, Didier Pitre, Bert Corbeau and Joe Malone; the Senators', by Cy Denneny and Frank Nighbor.