[ELS]

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead his weekly general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican May 28, 2008. REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli (VATICAN)

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead his weekly general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican May 28, 2008. REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli (VATICAN)

Pope Benedict XVI kisses a baby as he leaves after his weekly general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican May 28, 2008. REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli (VATICAN)

[ELS]

Previous catecheses on the Early Church Fathers:
On St. Clement of Rome -The Church Has a Sacramental, Not Political Structure (March 7, 2007)
Truly a Doctor of Unity (St. Ignatius of Antioch) (March 14, 2007)
St. Justin Martyr: He Considered Christianity the "True Philosophy" (March 21, 2007)
St. Irenaeus of Lyons: The First Great Theologian of the Church (March 28, 2007)
St. Clement of Alexandria: One of the Great Promoters of Dialogue Between Faith and Reason (April 18, 2007)
On Origen of Alexandria: He Was a True Teacher (April 25, 2007)
Origen: The Privileged Path to Knowing God Is Love (May 2, 2007)
Tertullian: Accomplished a Great Step in the Development of the Trinitarian Dogma (May 30, 2007)
St. Cyprian: His Book on the 'Our Father' Has Helped Me to Pray Better (June 6, 2007)
On Eusebius of Caesarea (June 13, 2007)
On St. Athanasius (June 20, 2007)
On St. Cyril of Jerusalem (June 27, 2007)
On St. Basil (July 4, 2007)
St. Basil (August 1, 2007)
St. Gregory of Nazianzen (August 8, 2007)
St. Gregory Nazianzen's Teachings (August 22, 2007)
St. Gregory of Nyssa - A Pillar of Orthodoxy (August 29, 2007)
Gregory of Nyssa on Perfection (September 5, 2007)
On St. John Chrysostom's Antioch Years (September 19, 2007)
On Chrysostom's Social Doctrine (September 26, 2007)
St. Cyril of Alexandria (October 3, 2007)
On Hilary of Poitiers (October 10, 2007)
On St. Eusebius of Vercelli (October 17, 2007)
On St. Ambrose of Milan (October 24, 2007)
On St. Maximus of Turin (October 31, 2007)
On St. Jerome (November 7, 2007)
St. Jerome on the Bible (November 14, 2007)
On the Teachings of Aphraates (November 21, 2007)
On St. Ephrem the Syrian (November 28, 2007)
On St. Chromatius of Aquileia (December 5, 2007)
On St. Paulinus of Nola (December 12, 2007)
On St. Augustine (January 9, 2008)
St. Augustine's Last Days (January 16, 2008)
On St. Augustine's Search for Truth (January 30, 2008)
On the Writings of St. Augustine (February 20, 2008)
On St. Augustine's Conversion (February 27, 2008)
On St. Leo the Great (March 5, 2008)
On Boethius and Cassiodorus (March 12, 2008)
On St. Benedict of Norcia (April 9, 2008)
On Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (May 14, 2008)
On Romanus the Melodist (May 21, 2008)

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

A very interesting period during the darkest of the Dark Ages. Most of the Italian people considered themselves to be Romans, though the Empire only had control of a small portion of the peninsula. The larger cities maintained local governments under the design of the Roman Civil Service. The Church had civil authority in much of central Italy, as agents of the Empire, but the peninsula was dominated by the military power of the recently invading Lombards, who were still Arian heretics at the time. The rural economy was still in the form of Roman Latifundia, great estates with tenant farmers.

[AnAmericanMother]

He tried to resist, even seeking to flee, but it was all to no avail: In the end, he had to give in. It was the year 590.

Pope Benedict must feel a certain kinship with Gregory the Great. IIRC, he spoke of his election as an executioner's axe or guillotine that fell on him.

[NYer]

Visitors from the East. A Maronite Catholic bishop (left) and an Orthodox priest.