Nascita della politica vaticana verso la Palestina e i luoghi santi

This article aims to investigate the Palestinian policy of the Vatican during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XV: a period that had important consequences on the future of the region, bringing about the division of the Middle East between French and British mandates, the consolidation of Zionism and the growth of the Arab nationalism. For these reasons, this article examines the policy of the Holy See on four different issues: the geo-political set-up of Palestine; the internal structure of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land; Zionism and the consequential effect that it had on the Christian presence; Arab nationalism and its repercussions on Christian-Muslim relations.