Why Benedict

Wednesday General Audience:

"Resuming the Wednesday general audiences," he went on, "I wish to speak of the name I chose on becoming bishop of Rome and pastor of the universal Church. I chose to call myself Benedict XVI ideally as a link to the venerated Pontiff, Benedict XV, who guided the Church through the turbulent times of the First World War. He was a true and courageous prophet of peace who struggled strenuously and bravely, first to avoid the drama of war and then to limit its terrible consequences. In his footsteps I place my ministry, in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples, profoundly convinced that the great good of peace is above all a gift of God, a fragile and precious gift to be invoked, safeguarded and constructed, day after day and with everyone's contribution.

  "The name Benedict also evokes the extraordinary figure of the great 'patriarch of western monasticism,' St. Benedict of Norcia, co-patron of Europe with Cyril and Methodius. The progressive expansion of the Benedictine Order which he founded exercised an enormous influence on the spread of Christianity throughout the European continent. For this reason, St. Benedict is much venerated in Germany, and especially in Bavaria, my own land of origin; he constitutes a fundamental point of reference for the unity of Europe and a powerful call to the irrefutable Christian roots of European culture and civilization."

  The Pope appealed to St. Benedict for help "to hold firm Christ's central position in our lives. May he always be first in our thoughts and in all our activities!"

  Before concluding, Benedict XVI announced that, just as at the beginning of his pontificate John Paul II had continued the reflections on Christian virtues begun by Pope John Paul I, in coming weekly audiences he would resume "the comments prepared by John Paul II on the second part of the Psalms and Canticles, which are part of Vespers. From next Wednesday, I will begin precisely from where his catechesis was interrupted after the general audience of January 26."

  The Holy Father read out brief summaries of his catechesis, which he had delivered in Italian, in various other languages: English, French, Spanish and German. He then gave brief greetings to various groups in Croatian, Slovenian and Polish and concluded by addressing the 1,000 faithful from the archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia, Italy, who were accompanied by Archbishop Riccardo Fontana.

Raw Video Feed here (scroll down; click) with some snippets of riding in the Popemobile, speaking in Italian, English, German and Spanish.

Comments

[Nick Luketic]

Wow! I am excited. Could this be the first Pope who speaks Croatian? My grandmother must be smiling in heaven.

[Sean Gallagher]

I don't know if he actually knows Croatian or not. I was told that he just said a few words of greeting to the folks from Croatia, Slovenia, and Poland. Perhaps he was just speaking phonetically.

[Chris]

I thought he didn't know Spanish, either, so maybe he just speaks phonetically with that one, too.

Although since he knows Italian and French, it shouldn't be that difficult.

[Rod Dreher]

Wow, the "Glory of the Olives" people have a lot in this to confirm their view of St. Malachi's prophecy. Peacemaker, and all that.

[Karen Howard]

If the next Pope is named Peter, I'm going to start going to confession once a week.

[john hearn]

"If the next Pope is named Peter..."

Just so long as he doesn't have a pumpkin in his coat of arms!

[john hearn]

But seriously, it would take some serious hutspa(sp?) to take the name Peter II. I think that that name has always been reseved for the last pope.

[Ambrose]

chutzpah
:-)

[Ambrose]

Duh! I never made the Bavarian connection to Benedict. And I even took half my classes at St. Vincent in Latrobe!

[Aaron]

Why wait? I started going to confession once a week a couple years back; I can't tell you how much the graces have helped me reform my life.

[Nancy]

Aaron, I wish I could trust priests that much.