Vatican City, Dec 6, 2007 / 08:57 am
Among the many audiences the Holy Father granted at the Vatican today, one stood out for its historical significance. In an audience he gave to the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about their founder, Pope Benedict XV, and praised their work to make known the outstanding heritage of Christian wisdom that the Church in the East has to offer.
Recalling the history of the Pontifical Oriental Institute for the 280 members at the audience, Benedict XVI explained that it was founded by Pope Benedict XV in 1917.
"The time of that Pope was a time of war," said the Holy Father, "while he himself worked for peace. To achieve peace he launched various appeals and even drew up ... a plan for peace, a detailed plan which unfortunately proved unsuccessful.”
"Nonetheless," the Pope added, "in order to ensure peace within the Church, he created ... three monuments of incomparable value: the Congregation for the Oriental Church (later renamed 'for the Oriental Churches'); the Pontifical Oriental Institute for the study of the theological, liturgical, juridical and cultural aspects of Oriental Christian wisdom; and the 'Codex Iuris Canonici'."