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On Europe's Cathedrals "Beauty Is a Privileged ... Way to Approach the Mystery of God" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 18, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience, which was held in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In the catecheses of recent weeks I have presented some aspects of Medieval theology. However Christian faith, profoundly rooted in the men and women of those centuries, did not only give origin to masterpieces of theological literature, of thought and of faith. It also inspired one of the loftiest artistic creations of...

On What Europe Owes to Cluny "The Value of the Human Person and the Primary Good of Peace" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 11, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience held in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, This morning I wish to speak of a monastic movement that had great importance in the Medieval centuries, and to which I have already referred in previous catecheses. It is about the Order of Cluny, which, at the beginning of the 12th century, the time of its greatest expansion, had almost...

On Theology of the Heart or the Mind "To Make Truth Triumph in Charity" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 4, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience held in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In the last catechesis I presented the main characteristics of 12th century monastic and scholastic theology, which in a certain sense we could call, respectively, "theology of the heart" and "theology of reason." A wide debate, at times fiery, took place between the representatives of each current, represented symbolically by the controversy between St. Bernard...

On Theology in the 12th Century "Knowledge Grows Only if It Loves Truth" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I pause to reflect on an interesting page of history, regarding the flowering of Latin theology in the 12th century, which came about by a providential series of coincidences. In the countries of Western Europe there reigned then a relative peace, which assured society of economic development and the consolidation of political structures, and fostered a...

On St. Bernard of Clairvaux "Faith Is Above All a Personal, Intimate Encounter With Jesus" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to speak about St. Bernard of Clairvaux, called "the last father" of the Church, because in the 12th century he renewed once again and rendered present the great theology of the Fathers. We do not know details about the years of his boyhood. We know, nevertheless, that he was born in...

On Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny "I Am Not One of Those Who Is Not Happy With His Lot" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The figure of Peter the Venerable, which I wish to present in today's catechesis, takes us back to the famous abbey of Cluny, to its "decorum" (decor) and its "lucidity" (nitor), to use terms that recur in the Cluniac texts -- decorum and splendor-- which are admired above all in...

On St. John Leonardi "To Oppose the Weeds He Chose to be Good Wheat" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters! The day after tomorrow, Oct. 9, will be the 400th anniversary of the death of St. John Leonardi, founder of the religious order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, canonized on April 17, 1938, and chosen patron of pharmacists on Aug. 8, 2006. He is also remembered for his great missionary zeal....

On the Trip to the Czech Republic "A People and a Church With Profound Historical and Religious Roots" VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 30, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address during today's general audience held in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, As is the custom following international apostolic journeys, I shall take advantage of the general audience to speak about the pilgrimage I made these past days to the Czech Republic. I do this first of all as an act of thanksgiving to God, who enabled me to make this visit and who...

On St. Anselm: Theologian, Teacher, Pastor A Life Marked By "Love of Truth and the Constant Thirst for God" VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In Rome, on the Aventine Hill, is found the Benedictine abbey of St. Anselm. As the seat of an Institute of Higher Studies and of the abbot primate of the Confederated Benedictines, it is a place that unites prayer, study and government, precisely the three activities that characterized the life of...

On Symeon the New Theologian "The Source of Love in Him Was the Presence of Christ" VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today we pause to reflect on the figure of the Eastern monk Symeon the New Theologian, whose writings exercised a noteworthy influence on the theology and spirituality of the East, in particular, regarding the experience of mystical union with God. Symeon the New Theologian was born in 949 in Galatia, in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor),...

On St. Peter Damian "Jesus Must Truly Be at the Center of Our Life" VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 9, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, During these Wednesday catecheses, I have been discussing some of the great figures of the life of the Church since its origin. Today I would like to reflect on one of the most significant personalities of the 11th century, St. Peter Damian, monk, lover of solitude and, at the same time, intrepid man of the Church,...

On St. Odo "He Was Austere, But Above All He Was Good" VATICAN CITY, Italy, SEPT. 2, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address at this Wednesday's general audience, which gathered pilgrims in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: After a long pause, I would like to take up again the presentation of the great writers of the Eastern and Western Church of the Medieval era because, as though in a mirror, in their lives and writings we see what it means to be Christians. Today I propose to you the luminous figure...

On Development That Respects the Environment "We Come From God and We Are All Going Back to Him" CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 26, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address at this Wednesday's general audience, which gathered pilgrims in the courtyard of the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters: We are coming to the end of the month of August, which for many means the end of the summer holidays. As we return to our daily activities, how can we not thank God for the precious gift of creation, which...

On Mary, Mother of Priests "The Perfect Model for Their Existence" CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI gave Aug. 12 during the general audience given at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, The celebration of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, next Saturday, is at hand and we are in the context of the Year for Priests. I therefore wish to speak of the link between Our Lady and the priesthood. This connection is deeply rooted in the...

On St. John Eudes "He Wanted to Remind People Â… of the Heart" CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today during the general audience held at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo. He reflected on St. John Eudes and the formation of the clergy. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Celebrated today is the liturgical memorial of St. John Eudes, tireless apostle of devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who lived in France in the 17th century, a century marked by opposing religious phenomena...

St. John Mary Vianney, the Curé d'Ars Dear Brothers and Sisters, In today's catechesis I would like briefly to review the life of the Holy Curé of Ars. I shall stress several features that can also serve as an example for priests in our day, different of course from the time in which he lived, yet marked in many ways by the same fundamental human and spiritual challenges. Precisely yesterday was the 150th anniversary of his birth in Heaven. Indeed it was at two o'clock in the morning on 4 August 1859 that St John Baptist Mary Vianney, having come...

On the 3rd Encyclical "A Better Future for Everyone Is Possible" VATICAN CITY, JULY 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall. He reflected on his third encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," which was released Tuesday. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: My new encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," which was officially presented yesterday, was fundamentally inspired in a passage from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, in which the apostle speaks of acting according to truth in charity: "Rather," we have just heard, "living...

On Priestly Identity "One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone" VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued with the theme he took up last week: the Year for Priests. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: As you know, with the celebration of First Vespers for the solemnity of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Pauline Year has come to a close -- the year...

On the Year for Priests "The Priest Is a Slave of Christ" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Last Friday, June 19, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the day traditionally dedicated to pray for the sanctification of priests, I had the joy of inaugurating the Year for Priests. The year was proclaimed on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the "birth into eternal life" of the Curé d'Ars, St....

On Cyril and Methodius "Each People Should Â… Express the Salvific Truth With Their Own Language" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 17, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, part of a catechetical series he is giving about great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Today, I would like to speak about Sts. Cyril and Methodius, brothers of the same parents and in the faith, known as the apostles to the Slavic people. Cyril was born in Thessalonica, son...

On John Scotus Erigena "His Theology Proceeds Â… by Asserting Primarily What God Is Not" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 10, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, part of a catechetical series he is giving about great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Today I would like to speak of a notable thinker of the Christian West: John Scotus Erigena, whose origins are obscure. He certainly came from Ireland, where he was born at the beginning of the...

On Rabanus Maurus "A Truly Extraordinary Personality of the Latin West" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 3, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, part of a catechetical series he is giving about great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Today I would like to speak about a truly extraordinary personality of the Latin West: the monk Rabanus Maurus. Together with men such as Isidore of Seville, the Venerable Bede and Ambrose Auperto, of whom I have already spoken...

On Theodore the Studite "An Important Virtue … Is Love for Work" VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, part of a catechetical series he is giving about great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The saint that we find today, St. Theodore the Studite, brings us to a period that from the religious and political point of view was rather turbulent. St. Theodore was born in the year 759 to a noble...

On the Pope's Trip to the Holy Land "I Presented Myself as a Pilgrim of Faith" VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, I pause today to speak about the apostolic journey that I made May 8-15 to the Holy Land, for which I do not cease to give thanks to the Lord, because it has shown itself to be a great gift for the Successor of Peter and for the whole Church. I wish...

On St. John Damascene "God Wants to Rest in Us" VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued his series on great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages, focusing today on St. John Damascene. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: I would like to speak today about John Damascene, a prominent personality in the history of Byzantine theology, a great doctor in the history of the universal Church. He is above all an eye witness of the passage...

On St. Germanus "There Is a Certain Visibility of God in the World" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, part of a catechetical series he is giving about great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The patriarch Germanus of Constantinople, of whom I would like to speak today, does not belong to the most characteristic figures of the Eastern Christian world, and yet, his name appears with a certain solemnity in the...

On Ambrose Autpert, "1st Mariologist of the West" "Christ Must Daily Be Born, Die, and Rise in Us" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square, part of a catechetical series he is giving about great writers of the Church in the Middle Ages. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Church lives in people and whoever wants to get to know the Church, to understand its mystery, must consider the people who have lived and who continue to live its message,...

On the Resurrection VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, The usual General Audience on Wednesday is pervaded today with spiritual joy, that joy which no suffering or pain can annul. Because joy arises from the certainty that Christ, through his death and resurrection, has definitively triumphed over evil and death. "Christ is risen, Alleluia!" - the Church sings in celebration. And this festive atmosphere, the sentiments typical of Easter, continue not only this week...

On the Holy Triduum "Hope Is Nourished in the Great Silence of Holy Saturday" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Holy Week, which for us Christians is the most important week of the year, offers us the opportunity to be immersed in the central events of Redemption, to relive the Paschal Mystery, the great mystery of the faith. Beginning tomorrow afternoon, with the Mass "In Coena Domini," the solemn liturgical rites will help us...

On Benedict XVI's Africa Trip "Build a Future of Reconciliation and Stable Peace for All" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, As I announced last Sunday in the Angelus, I will reflect today on my recent apostolic journey to Africa, the first of my pontificate to that continent. It was limited to Cameroon and Angola, but ideally, with my visit I wished to embrace all the African people and bless them in the name...

On St. Boniface "His Ardent Zeal for the Gospel Always Impresses Me" VATICAN CITY, MARCH 11, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Today we pause to consider a great missionary of the 8th century, who spread Christianity in Central Europe, precisely in my homeland as well: St. Boniface, who has been recorded in history as the "apostle of the Germans." We have not a little information about his life, thanks to the diligence of his biographers: He was...

On the Life of St. Bede He "Contributed Effectively to the Making of a Christian Europe" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 18, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave on the life of St. Bede during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, The saint on whom we reflect today is called Bede. He was born in Northeast England, in fact in Northumbria, in the year 672/673. He himself narrates that, when he was seven years old his parents entrusted him to the abbot of the neighboring Benedictine monastery, to...

On the Spiritual Ladder of John Climacus "A Great Symbol of the Life of the Baptized" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 11, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, After 20 catecheses dedicated to the Apostle Paul, I would like to take up again today the presentation of the great writers of the Church of East and West in the Middle Ages. And I propose the figure of John called Climacus, a Latin transliteration of the Greek term klímakos, which means ladder...

On Paul's Death and Heritage "The Figure of St. Paul Is Magnified Beyond His Earthly Life" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 4, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. He concluded today his series of catechesis on St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: The series of our catechesis on the figure of St. Paul has arrived to its conclusion: We wish to speak today of the end of his earthly life. Ancient Christian tradition testifies unanimously that the death of Paul came as a consequence...

On Paul's Letters to Early Bishops "Scripture Is Read Correctly by Putting Oneself in Dialogue" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today in Paul VI Hall at the general audience. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: The final letters of the Pauline collection, about which I would like to speak today, are called the pastoral letters, because they were sent to unique figures among the pastors of the Church: two to Timothy and one to Titus, close collaborators with St. Paul. In Timothy, the Apostle saw almost an alter...

On Seeking Christian Unity "We Should Respond With Generosity" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 21, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began last Sunday and will conclude this Sunday, feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle. This is a beautiful spiritual initiative, which is spreading more and more among Christians, in harmony, and we could say, in response to the pressing invocation that Jesus directed to the Father from the Upper Room:...

On Christ as Head "The Whole Cosmos Is Submitted to Him" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Among the letters of the Pauline collection, there are two, those directed to the Colossians and the Ephesians, that to a point could be considered twins. In fact, both have ways of speaking that are only found in those two, and it is calculated that more than a third of the Letter to the Colossians is found also...

On True Worship "The Era of the Temple and Its Worship Had Ended" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In this first general audience of 2009, I want to offer all of you fervent best wishes for the New Year that just began. Let us renew our determination to open the mind and heart to Christ, to be and live as his true friends. His company will make this year, even with its inevitable difficulties,...

On the Meaning and Value of Our Lives Christ "Appeals ... to Our Free Decision to Accept His Love" VATICAN CITY, DEC. 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: Precisely today, we begin the days of Advent that immediately prepare us for the nativity of the Lord: We are in the Christmas novena, which in many Christian communities is celebrated with liturgies rich in biblical texts, all oriented toward nourishing hope for the birth of the Savior. The entire...

Church Is a Body, Not a Corporation, Affirms Pope Says Christ and Neighbor Are Inseparable in Eucharist VATICAN CITY, DEC. 10, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Church is not an organization or a corporation, but an entity of an entirely different class, says Benedict XVI: It is the body of Christ, present in the Eucharist. This was the Pope's conclusion today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall, during which he left aside his prepared speech and gave the intervention extemporaneously. Due to his total departure from his notes, ZENIT will not be offering the customary transcription and translation of his...

On Christ, the New Adam "God Himself Has Entered History As New Source of Goodness" VATICAN CITY, DEC. 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in Paul VI Hall. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, In today's catechesis we reflect on the relationship between Adam and Christ, delineated by St. Paul in the well-known page of the Letter to the Romans (5:12-21), in which he instructs the Church on the essential...

On Signs of a Living Faith "Christian Ethics Â… Is the Consequence of our Friendship With Christ" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 26, 2008 (Zenit.org). Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square.Before the Holy Father continued with the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul, he addressed Aram I, catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians. * * * [Pope's English-language address to Aram I:] This morning I greet with great joy His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians, together with the distinguished delegation...

On St. Paul and Justification "To Be Just Means Simply to Be With Christ and in Christ" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, On the journey we have undertaken under the guidance of St. Paul, we now wish to reflect on a topic that is at the center of the controversies of the century of the Reformation:...

On St. Paul and the Second Coming "Come, Lord! Come Where You Are Not Known" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 12, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The theme of the Resurrection, which we considered last week, opens a new perspective -- that of awaiting the return of the Lord. And therefore it brings us to reflect on the relationship between the present...

On St. Paul and the Resurrection 2 Facts Are Important: The Tomb Is Empty and Jesus Really Appeared VATICAN CITY, NOV. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: "And if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. … You are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:14,17). With these heavy words of the First...

On St. Paul and the Cross "The Risen One Is Always the One Who Has Been Crucified" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 29, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In the personal experience of St. Paul, there is an indisputable fact: While at the beginning he had been a persecutor of the Christians and had used violence against them, from the moment of...

On Paul's Christology "The Radical Humility of Christ Is the Expression of Divine Love" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In the catecheses from previous weeks, we have meditated on the "conversion" of St. Paul, fruit of a personal encounter with the crucified and risen Christ, and we have asked ourselves about the reaction of the Apostle...

St. Paul's Teaching on the Church "We Are the Temple of God in the World" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 15, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, In last Wednesday's catechesis, I spoke of Paul's relationship with the pre-Easter Jesus in his earthly life. The question was: "What did Paul know of the life of Jesus, his words, his passion?" Today, I would...

On How St. Paul Knew Christ "Jesus Lives Now and Speaks With Us Now" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the previous catecheses on St. Paul, I spoke of his encounter with the Risen Christ, which fundamentally changed his life, and then of his relationship with the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus, particularly with Sts. James,...

On Paul's Dealings With Peter "Only Sincere Dialogue Could Guide the Path of the Church" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Holy Father continued today the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The respect and veneration for the Twelve, which Paul had always cultivated, did not diminish when he frankly defended the truth of the Gospel, which is nothing other than Jesus Christ, the Lord. Today, we wish...