Pacis Nuncio
Pacis nuntius ( Messenger of Peace) is the title of the Apostolic Letter of October 24, 1964, with which Pope Paul VI. declared St. Benedict of Nursia the patron saint of Europe and dubbed him the "father of western monasticism".
background
Benedict of Nursia (around 480-547) was an abbot who edited the classic monastic rule of the West, the Regula Benedicti . Around the year 800, Emperor Charlemagne actively promoted this rule in the Franconian Empire and thus helped it to dominate most of Europe. Benedict entered popular piety, not least because of the Benedict medal and international outrage over the destruction of his Montecassino monastery in the Second World War. Shortly after the war, Pope Pius XII. with the encyclical Fulgens radiatur of the 1400th anniversary of the death of the famous abbot on March 21, 1947.
content
In his apostolic letter Pacis nuntius , Pope Paul VI. St. Benedict of Nursia as "a messenger of peace, bringer of unity, teacher of civilization, herald of the religion of Christ and finally as the founder of monastic life in the West". In his laudation he wrote:
"It was above all he and his sons who with the cross, the book and the plow brought Christian progress to the people from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Ireland to Poland."
And he further explains:
“Through the cross, that is, through the law of Christ, he gave a foundation and direction to law in public and private life. To this end, it must be remembered that he taught mankind the primacy of the cult of God through ' Opus Dei ', that is, through liturgical and ritual prayer. It so happened that in Europe he created that spiritual unity by virtue of those peoples who were linguistically, ethnically and culturally separated, felt that they were one people of God; a unity which, thanks to the tireless work of the monks who followed in the footsteps of such a high master, became the hallmark of the Middle Ages. "
Furthermore, the Pope hopes that Benedict's civilizing significance for Europe will also become a blessing and protection against future war. May the “gift of peace” shine today and be strengthened by Benedict's intercession. Thus the pontiff elevates the abbot of Nursia to the "heavenly patron saint of all of Europe."
See also
Web links
- Text of the Apostolic Letter (Latin)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Anita Bourdin, As the messenger of peace became the patron saint of Europe, Zenit.org of July 11, 2012.