At his weekly general audience in the Paul the VI hall today, Pope Benedict continued his catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages.

In the catechesis, the Holy Father turned to the monastic reform linked to the great monastery of Cluny in France.

Founded eleven hundred years ago, Cluny restored the strict observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict and made the Church’s liturgy the centre of its life. It stressed the solemn celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and Holy Mass, and enriched the worship of God with splendid art, architecture and music. The monastic liturgy, seen as a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy, was accompanied by a daily regime marked by silence and intercessory prayer.

The Pope also made reference to Cluny’s influence in building Europe’s Christian identity.

Cluny also contributed to the reform of the universal Church by its concern for holiness, the restoration of clerical celibacy and the elimination of simony. At a formative time of Europe’s history, Cluny helped to forge the Continent’s Christian identity by its emphasis on the primacy of the spirit, respect for human dignity, commitment to peace and an authentic and integral humanism.

Pope Benedict XVI also prayed that people would rediscover, appreciate and defend the rich cultural and Christian heritage that has has been part of Europe for centuries.

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