Between 2007 and 2008, in 46 «catechesis» proposed during the Wednesday general audiences, pope Benedict XVI introduced 36 Fathers of the Church or ecclesiastical writers. After giving a brief overview of these speeches, the article reports the qualifications used by Benedict XVI when speaking of the Fathers, the most distinguishing features of their way of making theology, some of the most highlighted theological and spiritual contents with a special attention given to the patristic doctrine on prayer. This kind of approach reveals a «symphonic» attention to the tradition of the Church, that does not want to confine Fathers to specialized studies, but wants them to be listened to by the Church, in a way which resembles the «return to the sources» that favoured the renewal of the council.
(Author: Daniele Gianotti)