Pope's general audience of Sept. 1

(September 1, 2010) Every week on Wednesday, 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 general audience is normally held in the Vatican, but this summer Pope Benedict XVI has been holding it at the papal summer residence on the hill town of Castel Gandolfo, just outside Rome, where he is spending his summer.
The general audience of Sept. 1 was arranged in the square just outside the summer palace to accommodate a larger number of pilgrims. There, Pope Benedict delivered the main discourse in Italian, in which he cited Pope John Paul’s 1988 Apostolic Letter, Mulieris Dignitatem on the precious role that women played and continue to play in the life of the Church. This week he picked out German Saint Hildegard of Bingen who lived in the 12th century. She was born in 1098 in Bermersheim in the Rhineland and died in 1179 at the age of 81, despite persisting frail health. Since birth, Hildegard had been dedicated to God by her parents. In order to give her a good human and Christian education her parents entrusted her to the Judith Spanheim, a teacher who lived in the Benedictine cloister of St. Disibod and who later formed a small cloistered convent that followed the Rule of St. Benedict. Hildegard received the veil from Bishop Otto of Bamberg, and in 1136, after the death of Mother Judith, Hildegard became the superior. Educated and spiritually elevated, Hildegard carried out this task with great organizing capacity in dealing with cloistered life. As increasing number of women were clamouring to join her community, Hildegard later founded another community, dedicated to Saint Rupert, where she spent the rest of life. Her style of exercising authority is indeed an example for every religious community Pope Benedict pointed out. He said it aroused such a pious emulation of doing good in the community that, according to some accounts of those days, the superior and her daughters were trying to outdo one another appreciating and serving one another.
Already as the superior of Disibod, Hildegarde began dictating the mystical visions that she had been having for quite some time. As always is the case with true mystics, Hilegarde wanted to submit herself to the authority of wise persons to discern the origin of her visions, fearing that they were the result of illusions and hence not from God. So she turned to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who assured and encouraged her. But in 1147 she received another important approval – this time from Pope Eugene III, who read one of her texts. The Pontiff authorized the mystic to write her visions and speak in public. Pope Benedict XVI said that the the seal of an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit, source of all charisms is that the person in whom resides the supernatural gifts never boasts about them, but rather shows total obedience to the Church. He said that every gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit is in fact destined to build the Church, and the Church, through its pastors, recognizes its authenticity. Pope Benedict said that next Wednesday he would continue on St. Hildegard who, he said, is relevant even in our times with her courageous capacity to discern the signs of the times.
During Wednesday’s audience, Pope Benedict XVI greeted various groups in their languages, including in English and imparted his blessing.

Listen:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims, especially those from Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Japan and Sri Lanka. Our catechesis today deals with Saint Hildegard of Bingen, the great nun and mystic of the twelfth century. One of the outstanding women of the Middle Ages, Hildegard used her spiritual gifts for the renewal of the Church and the spread of authentic Christian living. Hildegard reminds us of the contribution which women are called to make to the life of the Church in our own time. Trusting in her intercession, I cordially invoke upon all of you God’s abundant blessings!