Vatican City, Feb 3, 2010 / 09:32 am
During his Wednesday General Audience, the Holy Father spoke of St. Dominic, a saint described as the model for new evangelization. In his life, Dominic preached the Gospels to those who did not know Christ and also worked to re-evangelize Christian communities.
The founder of the eventual Order of Preachers, "spoke always with God and of God. In the life of the saints, the love for the Lord and for neighbor, the search for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls always go together," highlighted the Pope.
Young Dominic was known in Spain for his love for the poor and works of charity. When Dominic was ordained, he treated his priestly position as one of "service to render with dedication and humility," taught the Pope.
In his ministry, he was taken by Bishop Diego of Osma to Northern Europe to carry out diplomatic missions in which time he became aware of "two enormous challenges" for the Church. The first was that many people still did not know Christ. Dominic also noticed that there was an existence of a "religious laceration" that was having a negative effect on Christian life, particularly in southern France.