Pope’s conclusive catechesis on St. Paul in his Wednesday General Audience

(February 4, 2009) Every week on Wednesdays, the Pope holds a public meeting, called the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance of seeing and hearing him speak. The Holy Father delivers a spiritual reflection and greets various groups in their languages. The General Audience of Feb 4 was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall. It began with a scripture reading in various languages. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking pilgrims, presenting the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered a reflection in English. Listen:
Dear Brothers and Sisters, concluding our catechesis on Saint Paul today, we look briefly at the end of his earthly life and his ongoing legacy. Though there is no account of Paul’s death in the New Testament, a strong tradition holds that he was martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero and buried along the Via Ostiense on the site of the present Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Saint Clement of Rome, in a first-century letter to the Corinthians, extols Paul’s patience in suffering as a model for all Christians to imitate. Paul himself alluded to his agony in sacrificial terms when he wrote: “for I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim 4:6). Paul’s writings have inspired countless commentaries through the centuries. New studies continue to shed light on his character, the churches he founded and the Gospel he preached. For example, scholarship has brought to light important differences between Paul and Jesus which carve out a niche for him as a generous apostle and an original thinker, rather than the “new founder” of Christianity, as some have claimed. By listening to his teaching, may we be strengthened in our commitment to Christ, so as to take part joyfully in the Church’s mission of evangelization!
I am pleased to greet the English-speaking visitors present at today’s audience. I particularly welcome students from the Bossey Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies in Geneva, as well as pilgrims from Hong Kong and the United States of America. God bless you all!