(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!