On the Doctor of Unity

The Holy Father dedicated his 14 March 2007 General Audience to Saint Ignatius of Antioch, one of my personal favorites.

Pope Benedict XVI called the letters of the "Doctor of Unity" a "precious treasure" in which "one can feel the freshness of the faith of hte generation that had still known the apostles. We can also feel in these letters the ardent love of a saint."

Noting that it was Ignatius who first called the Church "Catholic", the Holy Father said that "the realism of Ignatius invites the faithful of yesterday and today, invites us all, to a progressive synthesis between configuration to Christ (union with him, life in him) and dedication to his Church (union with the bishop, generous service to the community and the world)."