Pope Benedict XVI in English - Weekly General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, In today’s catechesis we turn to Saint Columban, one
of the many Irish monks who contributed to the re-evangelization of Europe in the
early Middle Ages. Columban made his monastic profession in Bangor and was ordained
a priest. At the age of fifty, he left the monastery to begin missionary work in
Europe, where entire regions had lapsed into paganism. Beginning in Brittany, Columban
and his companions established monasteries at Annegray and Luxeuil. These became
centres for the spread of the monastic and missionary ideals brought by the monks
from their native Ireland. Columban introduced to Europe the Irish penititential
discipline, including private confession. His stern moral teachings led to conflict
with the local Bishops and the Frankish court, resulting in the exile of the Irish
monks, first to the Rhineland and then to Italy. At Bobbio, where he established
a great monastic centre, Columban worked for the conversion of the Arian Lombards
and the restoration of unity with the Bishop of Rome. It was there that he died,
leaving behind not only the example of an austere monastic life, but also a corpus
of writings which shaped the monastic culture of the Middle Ages and thus nourished
the Christian roots of Europe. I offer a warm greeting and prayerful good wishes
to Cardinal Kitbunchu and the pilgrims from Thailand who are present today, and also
to the large group of delegates from the Pope Paul VI Institute in Nebraska. To all
the English-speaking visitors, from England, Scotland, Scandinavia, Korea, and the
United States of America, I extend a warm welcome. May God bless you all.