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Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc

On 16 May 1920 Benedict XV canonized Joan of Arc. It does not treat canonization as empirical proof of 1429 visions. In the causal graph this event strengthens Social Cohesion, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — an improving welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

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On 16 May 1920 Benedict XV canonized Joan of Arc. It does not treat canonization as empirical proof of 1429 visions.

Context

Post-1918 France wanted a national saint. The church wanted a lay martyr. Both can sit on one date. Colonial and party uses of Jeanne after 1920 are not this bull.

Joan of Arc is not the sole author of every later object, law, or museum label that uses the name. Shared work with courts, excavators, printers, spouses, officials, and later states does not erase a documented role, and it does not make an ancient person the signer of a twentieth-century statute.

Why it matters

Legal-memory path inside a church. High confidence on the canonization date; none on supernatural verification.

A saint is not a rehabilitation trial. 1456 remains the legal quashing.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Joan of Arc

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.15 · verified

    Complex: Vatican canonization of a long-dead captain. Later nationalist militarisation of the same name is a different row.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactBenedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc
    2. strengthensDriverSocial Cohesion
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Improving path

    impact weight 0.55 · Effect from 16 May 1920 · verified

    Canonization made a publicly executable legal-memory of an executed woman available to Catholic institutions worldwide, a cohesion path with documented later military capture.

    • Having a say in government

      via Social Cohesion

      Better

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.25 (weight 0.55 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Social Cohesion

      Better

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.25 (weight 0.55 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Benedict XV — Vatican documentation portalHoly See · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Britannica — Saint Joan of ArcEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

The Benedict XV Vatican portal and Britannica independently date 16 May 1920.

Established: 1920 canonization by Benedict XV. Not established: that 1920 verified voices, or that it is a women’s-rights statute.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorJoan of Arc
  2. contributed toFactBenedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc
  3. strengthensDriverSocial Cohesion
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/joa-canonization-1920

https://factrail.ai/facts/joa-canonization-1920

Accessed 15 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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