Pope Benedict XVI Continues Reflections on St. Paul at Weekly General Audience

(01 Oct 08 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI held his weekly General Audience at the Vatican today, during which he continued his series of reflections on the life and legacy of St. Paul the Apostle.

Chris Altieri reports…

Thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s square to participate in Pope Benedict XVI’s weekly General Audience, during which the Pope concentrated on two particular events that illustrate Paul’s relationship to the Twelve Apostles, saying the episodes show how Paul combined respect for their authority with frankness in the service of the Gospel.


At the Council of Jerusalem Paul defended before the Twelve his conviction that the grace of Christ had freed the Gentiles from the obligations of the Mosaic Law. Significantly, the Church’s decision in this matter of faith was accompanied by a gesture of concrete concern for the needs of the poor (cf. Gal 2:10).


Pope Benedict said that by endorsing Paul’s collections among the Gentiles, the Council thus set its teaching on Christian freedom within the context of the Church’s communion in charity.

Pope Benedict went on to remember another episode, in which Paul’s example showed the Christian vocation to service as an expression of authentic human freedom in Christ.

Later, in Antioch, when Peter, to avoid scandalizing Jewish Christians, abstained from eating with the Gentiles, Paul rebuked him for compromising the freedom brought by Christ (cf. Gal 2:11-14). Yet, writing to the Romans years later, Paul himself insisted that our freedom in Christ must not become a source of scandal for others (cf. Rom 14:21). Paul’s example shows us that, led by the Spirit and within the communion of the Church, Christians are called to live in a freedom which finds its highest expression in service to others.


At the end of the Audience, Pope Benedict saluted pilgrims in many languages, including English.

I offer a warm welcome to the new students of the Pontifical Irish College. May your priestly formation in the Eternal City prepare you to be generous and faithful servants of God’s People in your native land. I also greet the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary on the occasion of their General Chapter. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims, especially those from Ireland, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and the United States, I invoke God’s abundant blessings.