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On Paul's World and Time Period "I Begin Today a New Cycle of Catecheses, Dedicated to the Great Apostle" VATICAN CITY, JULY 2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. On the occasion of the Pauline Year, the Holy Father began a new cycle of catecheses today, dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, I would like to begin today a new cycle of catecheses, dedicated to the great Apostle St. Paul. To him, as you know, I...

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Canonical Good Standing 1 July, 2008 Feast of the Precious Blood My dear friends, I am happy to inform you that last June 18th, before Cardinal Castrillon and the members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in Rome, I humbly petitioned the Holy See on my own behalf and on behalf of the monastery council for our priestly suspensions to be lifted. On June 26th I received word that the Holy See had granted our petition. All canonical censures have been lifted.

On St. Maximus the Confessor "He Always Had As His Compass the Concrete Reality of the World" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 25, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, dedicated to the figure of Saint Maximus the Confessor. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to present the figure of one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church of later times. He is a monk, St. Maximus, who merited from Christian tradition the title of Confessor because of the intrepid courage with which...

On St. Isidore of Seville "Believers Up to Our Times Benefit From His Definitions" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, focused on the figure of St. Isidore of Seville. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I wish to speak of St. Isidore of Seville, younger brother of Leander, bishop of Seville, and great friend of Pope Gregory the Great. This relation is important because it leads us to keep in mind a cultural and spiritual approach that is indispensable to...

President & Mrs. Bush met today with Pope Benedict XVI at The Vatican. The pope treated the president to a rare tour of the Vatican Gardens, a spot where popes pray privately and only special guests are allowed to stroll. First Lady Laura Bush toured the Mattei Palace in Rome and met there with students in the American Study Center. The first couple then boarded Air Force One and traveled to Paris, France. During the flight, Mrs. Bush participated in a rare press gaggle with reporters on the plane. “Hey everybody, how are you all? Good to see you.” (Transcript)...

On St. Columban "A Tireless Builder of Monasteries" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 11, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, on the Irish monk St. Columban. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to speak of the holy Abbot Columban, the most famous Irishman of the early Middle Ages. With good reason he can be called a "European" saint, because as monk, missionary and writer, he worked in several countries of Western Europe. Along with the Irishmen of his time, he was aware of...

On the Thought of Gregory the Great "Holiness Is Always Possible, Even in Difficult Times" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience, the second catechesis he dedicated to the figure of Pope Gregory the Great. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, I return today, in this our Wednesday meeting, to the extraordinary figure of Pope Gregory the Great, to glean additional light from his rich teaching. Despite the many commitments connected with his work as Bishop of Rome, he has left us numerous works, which in...

Mr Ahmadinejad is one of 40 heads of state arriving in Rome on Tuesday for a vital United Nations summit on the world’s food crisis. Mr Ahmadinejad was keen to meet Benedict XVI, after writing to him two years ago on the subject of spirituality and the need for dialogue between Islam and Christianity. Relations between Iran and the Holy See are warming, and Mr Ahmadinejad said the Vatican was a “positive force for justice and peace” in April after meeting with the new nuncio to Iran, Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel. Benedict is also thought to have the support of several...

On Gregory the Great "He Was a Man Immersed in God" VATICAN CITY, MAY 28, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience, which he dedicated to the figure of Pope Gregory the Great. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters! Last Wednesday I spoke about a Father of the Church little known in the West -- Romanus the Melodius. Today I wish to present the figure of one of the greatest fathers in the history of the Church, one of the four doctors of the West, Pope Gregory, who was bishop of Rome between...

On Romanus the Melodist "If Faith is Alive, Christian Culture Will Never be Outdated" VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square [Paul VI Hall]. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters: In the series of catecheses on the Fathers of the Church, I would like to speak today of one who isn't well known: Romanus the Melodist, born around the year 490 in Emesa (today Homs) in Syria. Theologian, poet, composer, he belongs to the group of theologians that have transformed theology...

On Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite "He Has New Relevance as a Mediator in Dialogue With Theologies of Asia" VATICAN CITY, MAY 14, 2008 (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: In the course of the catechesis on the Fathers of the Church, I would like to speak today about a very mysterious figure: a theologian from the sixth century, whose name is not known, and who wrote under the pseudonym of Dionysius the Areopagite. With this pseudonym, he alluded to the...

On Christian Unity "Keep Alive the Flames of Faith, Charity and Hope" VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the text of the greetings Benedict XVI gave today to Catholicos Karekin II, supreme patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and a translation of the catechesis he gave afterward during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * [English Greetings to Catholicos Karekin II] It is my great joy today to greet His Holiness Catholicos Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and the distinguished delegation accompanying him. Your Holiness, I pray that the light...

On the Trip to the UN and the US "I Have Had the Joy of Announcing 'Christ Our Hope'" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Even if a few days have already passed since my return, I would like to dedicate the catechesis of today, as I normally do, to the apostolic trip that I made to the United Nations and the United States of America this past April 15 to 21. Before all, I renew my most...

Fisherman’s Shoes Find Target by: Malcolm A. Kline, April 24, 2008 Despite what you may have been lead to believe by the so-called mainstream media, the Pope delivered an address to Catholic college presidents that could be summarized as My Way or The Highway. The Pope addressed the United Nations in an approach that longtime students of the UN might characterize as one of rapprochement. Nonetheless, his remarks to the college presidents, according to attendees at that meeting were, if not remonstrative, then at least reminders of the need to pass on actual Catholic teaching in universities that bear that...

The following is a transcript of Pope Benedict XVI's remarks at ground zero: O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain. We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here -- the heroic first-responders: our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on...

Original Free Republic LinkFree Republic:Pope Benedict XVI Pays Historical Visit To The Park Street Synagogue

Pope Benedict XVI paid a 22-minute visit to the Park East Synagogue — the first papal trip to a United States synagogue — on Friday afternoon. He presented the synagogue with a medieval Jewish manuscript from the Vatican library and received three gifts: a seder plate, a Passover haggadah and a box of matzoh. The pope offered warm remarks and was showered with praise and music, but in a brief, three-minute address, he did not address the Holocaust, anti-Semitism or historic tensions between Jews and the Catholic Church. The pope entered the temple As the choir sang “Sh’ma Yisrael,” a...

Just a puny personal pronoun, yet one that perhaps spoke volumes about MSM attitudes toward religion. On the occasion of the Mass that Pope Benedict XVI will be celebrating later day at DC's Nationals Park, Early Show co-anchor interviewed Father Thomas Williams, a Roman Catholic priest who also serves as a CBS religion analyst. For the liberal media, even a subject as seemingly innocuous as a nice spring day can suddenly turn into a PC minefield should it put an MSMer in the position of having to recognize God's work, as this exchange reveals. View video here.

Benedict XVI's Address to the U.S. BishopsBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Washington, D.C., April 16, 2008 * * * Dear Brother Bishops, It gives me great joy to greet you today, at the start of my visit to this country, and I thank Cardinal George for the gracious words he has addressed to me on your behalf. I want to thank all of you, especially the Officers of the Episcopal Conference, for the hard work that has gone into the preparation of this visit. My grateful appreciation goes also to the staff and volunteers of the...

President and Mrs. Bush welcomed His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the White House today during his first visit to the United States as Pope. Link Tonight, the President and Mrs. Bush will hold a Social Dinner in honor of the Pope. He will not attend due to a longstanding Vatican policy. German food will be served in his honor. This afternoon, the President addressed Climate Change in a speech in the Rose Garden. Link Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Catholic education will be front and center this week when Benedict XVI makes his first papal visit to America. On April 17, at Catholic University in Washington, DC, he will address more than 400 college, university, elementary and secondary school leaders. His subject will be the importance of Catholic education, and he'll probably argue for strict adherence to the usual orthodox Church teachings--a call for academics to behave and for bishops to insure that they do. What Benedict is unlikely to address is the failure of many in the church hierarchy to abide by another social teaching that is far...

A PERSONAL INVITATION TO THE EWTN FAMILY By Raymond Arroyo Pope Benedict XVI is coming to the United States April 15-20 and, as most Catholics know, tickets to the live events are scarce. But EWTN family will have a front row seat. I will be anchoring each event live with my co-host, Father Richard John Neuhaus, and other papal commentators, including Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. I can promise you that no one will have coverage as complete and as authoritative as EWTN. From the Pope’s arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, where he is being...

On St. Benedict of Norcia "The Great Monk Is Still a True Teacher" VATICAN CITY, APRIL 9, 2008 (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 I would like to talk about St. Benedict, the father of Western monasticism, and also the patron saint of my papacy. I will begin with a few words from Pope St. Gregory the Great who wrote the following about St. Benedict: “The man of God who shone on this earth with so many miracles...

Death Was the Seal of an Existence Totally Given to Christ VATICAN CITY, APRIL 2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the homily Benedict XVI gave today when he celebrated Mass on the third anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, The date of April 2 has been imprinted in the Church's memory as the day the Servant of God Pope John Paul II [said] good-bye to this world. Let us again live with emotion the hours of that Saturday afternoon, when the news of his passing away was received...

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 26, 2008.- Here is a translation of the catechesis Benedict XVI gave during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters! "Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas" – "And on the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures." Every Sunday, with the Credo, we renew our profession of faith in the resurrection of Christ, a surprising event that represents the keystone of Christianity. In the Church, everything is understood from the perspective of this great mystery which changed the course of history and which becomes actual in every...

Riyadh, Mar. 25, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The president of the Middle East Center for Strategic Studies, Anwatr al Oshqi, has reported that Saudi Arabia’s royal family has decided against building a Catholic church in the kingdom. Earlier this month Vatican Radio reported that the Saudi government was weighing a proposal for the construction of a Catholic church. That report came as a surprise, since the Saudi regime does not allow public worship by any faith other than Islam. In November 2007, when King Abdullah became the first reigning Saudi king ever to visit the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI urged...

Magdi Allam Recounts His Path to Conversion Benedict XVI Baptized the Journalist at Easter Vigil VATICAN CITY, MARCH 23, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Magdi Allam’s account of his conversion to Catholicism. The Muslim journalist was baptized by Benedict XVI at Saturday's Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. An abbreviated form of this account appeared as a letter to Paolo Mieli, the director of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Allam is the paper’s deputy director. The Italian version of the complete text is available at magdiallam.it. * * * Dear Friends, I am particularly happy to...

On the Easter Triduum "Love Is Stronger Than Hate, It Has Triumphed" VATICAN CITY, MARCH 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the greetings Benedict XVI gave today to students participating in the international UNIV congress who had gathered at St. Peter's Basilica, and the catechesis he gave afterward during his weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * [Pope's greeting to students in St. Peter's Basilica] [In English, he said] Dear Friends, I offer a cordial welcome to all of you who have come to Rome from various countries and universities to celebrate Holy Week together,...

On Boethius and Cassiodorus VATICAN CITY, March 12, 2008 - The General Audience today took place once again in two places. Here is a translation of the greeting by the Holy Father at St. Peter's Basilica before he proceeded to Paul VI Hall for the catechesis. Dear brothers and sisters! I am happy to welcome you to this Basilica and I address my heartfelt greeting to this, your festive assembly, predominantly composed of young students. I greet particularly representatives of the Folklore Groups of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the students of the city of Paola and students of various scholastic institutes from...

On St. Leo the Great VATICAN CITY, March 5, 2008 The General Audience today took place once again in two places. First, the Pope greeted the faithful inside St. Peter's Basilica, including Italian students belonging to two national associations. Afterwards, he proceeded to Paul VI Hall where he delivered his Wednesday catechesis and greetings to various pilgrim groups. Here is a translation of the catechesis: Dear brothers and sisters, Continuing our journey with the Fathers of the Church, true stars who shine from afar, today we come to a Pope who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Benedict...

On St. Augustine's Conversion "A Journey That Remains a True Example for Each One of Us" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 26, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the greetings Benedict XVI gave today at St. Peter's Basilica to those who could not be accommodated in Paul VI Hall for the general audience, and a translation of the catechesis he delivered in the Vatican auditorium. This is the fifth and final address the Pope has dedicated to the figure of St. Augustine. * * * [Greetings at St. Peter's Basilica in English] Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am pleased to welcome...

On the Writings of St. Augustine "He Truly Lives in His Works, He Is Present With Us" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 20, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the greetings Benedict XVI gave today at St. Peter's Basilica to those who could not be accommodated in Paul VI Hall for the general audience, and a translation of the catechesis he delivered in the Vatican auditorium. This is the fourth address the Pope has dedicated to the figure of St. Augustine. * * * [Greetings at St. Peter's Basilica in English] I am pleased to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims gathered...

On the Lenten Journey "A Spiritual Retreat That Lasts 40 Days" VATICAN CITY, FEB. 6, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today, Ash Wednesday, at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today, Ash Wednesday, we begin again our Lenten journey as we do every year, with a more intense spirit of prayer and reflection, of penance and of fasting. We are entering into a very "intense" liturgical season that, while preparing us for the celebration of Easter -- the heart of the Church calendar and of...

A Papal Masterstroke Pope's Good Friday Prayer Reinforces Infallible Church Teaching Christopher A. Ferrara REMNANT COLUMNIST, New Jersey (Posted 2/05/08 www.RemnantNewspaper.com)The reports were true: The Pope has changed the traditional Good Friday prayer for the conversion of the Jews.  But, amazingly enough, the change is another positive development in this papacy, although I would never have thought so until I actually read the text of the new prayer. First of all, there is only one thing we need to know about the revised prayer in order to assess whether it is good or bad for the cause of the...

On St. Augustine's Search for Truth "Faith and Reason Are the Two Forces That Lead Us to Knowledge " VATICAN CITY, JAN. 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection is the third in a series on St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo. * * * Dear friends, After the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we return today to the great figure of St. Augustine. In 1986, on the 1,600th anniversary of his conversion, my beloved predecessor John Paul II dedicated a long and...

On Christian Unity "Let's Accept the Invitation to 'Pray Without Ceasing'" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 23, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, We are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which comes to an end Friday, Jan. 25. This day marks the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. Christians from various churches and ecclesiastical communities come together at this time in unanimous prayer to ask the Lord Jesus for...

VATICAN CITY — The pope's top aide said Wednesday that Benedict XVI's reason for canceling a visit to a Rome university was that he did not want to create a pretext for further "unpleasant" protests by professors and students opposed to the religious leader speaking at a secular campus. Anti-pope slogans have appeared on banners and posters around buildings at La Sapienza University, where Benedict was to have spoken on Thursday. A group of professors, mainly from the sciences, wrote to the university rector late last year to object to the pope's visit, depicting Benedict as a religious figure opposed...

St. Augustine's Last Days "Though the World Grows Old, Christ Is Forever Young" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 16, 2007 JAN. 16, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection is the second in a series on St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today, as I did last Wednesday, I would like to discuss the great bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine. Four years before he died, he wanted to nominate his successor. To this end, on Sept. 26, 426, he gathered...

On St. Augustine "All the Roads of Christian Latin Literature Lead to Hippo" VATICAN CITY, JAN. 9, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection is the first in a series on St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, After the Christmas holidays I would like to turn to the meditations on the Fathers of the Church and speak today of the greatest Father of the Latin Church, St. Augustine: a man of passion and faith, of high intelligence and...

On the Divine Maternity of Mary [Here is a translation of the reflection on the Divine Maternity of Mary delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall.] * * * Dear brothers and sisters! A very old formula of blessing, reported in the Book of Numbers, says: "The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Nm 6,24–26). With these words which the liturgy offered to us yesterday, the first day of the year, I wish to...

Zeffirelli Brands Mel Gibson's Passion Anti-Semitic; Calls Director “Bloodthirsty”   Thu Feb 26,12:12 PM ET     Godfrey DeenyFashion Wire Daily February 26, 2004 - New York - Franco Zeffirelli, the last person before Mel Gibson (news) to direct a major feature film on the life of Christ and someone who has himself directed the actor as Hamlet, has lambasted Gibson's controversial film The Passion as anti-Semitic.   "They tell me that in America, despite the ban on minors, that mothers absolutely want their children to see the film, in order to understand the suffering Jesus underwent to save...

ROME — Italian film and opera legend Franco Zeffirelli has agreed to become an image consultant to Pope Benedict XVI, the director said in an interview published Saturday. The pope does not have a "happy image," Zeffirelli told La Stampa, adding: "Coming after a pope as telegenic as John Paul II is a difficult task." Benedict, elected in 2005, "comes across coldly, which isn't suited to his surroundings," Zeffirelli said, adding that the pope's wardrobe "should be reviewed." The pope's robes are "too sumptuous and flashy," the 84-year-old director of "Jesus of Nazareth" and "Romeo and Juliet" told the daily...

Dear brothers and sisters, The day after Christmas, the liturgy celebrates the 'birth in heaven' of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. 'Filled with faith and the Holy Spirit' (Acts 6,5), he was chosen as a deacon by he community if Jerusalem, along with six other disciples who had a Greek education. With the power given to him by God, Stephen performed many miracles and announced the Gospel in the synagogues with "inspired wisdom.' He was stoned at the gates of the city and died, like Jesus, invoking forgiveness for his executioners (Acts 7,59-60). The profound link that united Christ...

Pope hails persecuted Christians as modern martyrsWed Dec 26, 7:31 AM ETVATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Wednesday that Christians faced persecution, torture and death in some parts of the world and continued to be made martyrs for their faith. In a message to pilgrims on the day after Christmas -- the feast day of St. Stephen, considered the first Christian martyr -- the Pope said Christians who die for their faith pray for forgiveness for their killers. "We should always note that this is a distinctive characteristic of the Christian martyr -- it is exclusively an...

Dear Brothers and Sisters, “The time came for Mary to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk 2:6f.). These words touch our hearts every time we hear them. This was the moment that the angel had foretold at Nazareth: “you will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Lk 1:31). This was the moment that Israel had...

On the Birth of Christ "Like the Shepherds, We Hasten Our Steps Toward Bethlehem" VATICAN CITY, DEC. 19, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the reflection on Christmas that Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters! As we approach the great feast of Christmas, the liturgy encourages us to intensify our preparation, placing at our disposal numerous biblical texts from the Old and the New Testaments, which serve to motivate us to focus on the significance and value of this annual celebration. On one hand, Christmas is...

Last week, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen wrote a column titled "Secular Europe's Merits," in which he explained why he prefers the secularism of Europe to the religiosity of America. To his credit (other New York Times columnists do not generally agree to debate anything they write -- Paul Krugman, for example, has refused to discuss his new book on liberalism with me), Cohen agreed to come on my show, and proved to be a charming guest. A distinguished foreign correspondent for Reuters and the International Herald Tribune, Cohen nevertheless betrayed what I believe is endemic to those who...

On St. Chromatius of Aquileia "A Wise Teacher and a Zealous Pastor" VATICAN CITY, DEC. 5, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection focused on St. Chromatius, bishop of Aquileia. * * * Dear brothers and sisters! In the last two catecheses we ventured through the Eastern Semitic Churches, meditating on Aphraates the Persian and St. Ephrem the Syrian; today we return to the Latin world, to the North of the Roman Empire, with St. Chromatius of Aquileia. This bishop carried out his ministry...

ENCYCLICAL LETTERSPE SALVI OF THE SUPREME PONTIFFBENEDICT XVI TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON CHRISTIAN HOPE Introduction 1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus�—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption�—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal,...

On St. Ephrem the Syrian "Scepter of the Holy Spirit" VATICAN CITY, NOV. 28, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. The reflection focused on the figure of St. Ephrem the Syrian, fourth-century theologian, poet and musician. * * * Dear brothers and sisters! According to general opinion, Christianity is a European religion that has exported the culture of this Continent to other countries. The reality, though, is a lot more complex, as the root of the Christian religion is found in the Old Testament, and...