At long last

The Holy Father has finally turned to the figure of Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), "the greatest Father of the Latin Church." I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to take so long!

In today's catechesis, Pope Benedict XVI recounted briefly the biography of this "enormously influential" saint who has played an important role in the spirituality and teaching of the Pontiff, both as theologian and Successor of Peter.

Praising the faith and genius of Saint Augustine, Pope Benedict XVI said:

Rarely has civilization encountered a figure so great, capable of embracing its values and of proclaiming its intrinsic richness, formulating ideas and methods that serve to nurture successive generations, as Paul VI also emphasized: "One can say all of antiquity's philosophy converge in his work, and from it derive currents of thought pervading the doctrinal tradition of the next centuries."

In future catecheses - at least two more - the Holy Father will examine the writings of the Doctor of Grace. If memory serves, the Pontiff has only dedicated a series of catecheses to a few of the Apostles, which remain his greatest catecheses to date.