St. John Eudes - focus of Pope’s General Audience of Aug. 19

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 Holy Father delivers a spiritual reflection and greets various groups in their languages. Normally the weekly General Audience is held in the Vatican, but since his annual vacation in Val D’Aosta in the Italian Alps in July, Pope Benedict has been passing his summer at the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, south-east of Rome, where has been holding the general audiences. As the Holy Father appeared at the balcony overlooking the courtyard of the summer palace on Wednesday, a large crowd greeted him with cheers.
Pope Benedict first delivered his reflection in Italian during which he focussed on the figure of the 17th century French priest St. John Eudes, whose feast this year fell on Wednesday. Speaking in the context of the Year for Priests, which he inaugurated on June 19th, Pope Benedict said St. John Eudes was an untiring apostle of the devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary which began in France in the 17th century. Pope Benedict underscored the apostolic zeal of St. John Eudes, especially his efforts towards the formation of the diocesan priest. Just as in the years after the Council of Trent, even today priests need be formed well in heart and soul, the Pope said. The 16th century Council, the Pope noted, had issued norms for setting up seminaries and the formation of priests because, he said, the Reformation crisis was also conditioned by inadequate formation of priests who were unprepared intellectually and spiritually. As the norms were slow to execution, St. John Eudes saw the inadequacy of a large number of the clergy and thus started a congregation for the formation of priests and established a seminary. Even today, Pope Benedict said, there is need for priests to be witnesses of the mercy of God with a life completely conquered by Christ.
After his discourse in Italian, the Holy Father imparted on all his blessing and then delivered summaries of his reflection in several languages.
Here is what he said in English:
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, including the pilgrims from India and Nigeria. Our catechesis considers Saint John Eudes whose feast we celebrate today. He lived in seventeenth-century France which, notwithstanding considerable trials for the faith, produced many outstanding examples of spiritual courage and insight. Saint John Eudes’ particular contribution was the foundation of a religious congregation dedicated to the task of giving solid formation to the diocesan priesthood. He encouraged seminarians to grow in holiness and to trust in God’s love revealed to humanity in the priestly heart of Jesus and in the maternal heart of Mary. During this year let us pray in a special way for priests and seminarians that, inspired by today’s saint, they may spiritually “enter into the heart of Jesus”, becoming men of true love, mercy, humility and patience, renewed in holiness and pastoral zeal. My dear Brothers and Sisters, upon you and your families I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!