VATICAN - Pope’s catechesis at the General Audience dedicated to Romanus the Melodist, “who belongs to the group of theologians that have transformed theology into poetry.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In his series of catechesis dedicated the Fathers of the Church, during the General Audience held on Wednesday, May 21, the Holy Father Benedict XVI reflected on one of the least-known figures among the Fathers: Romanus the Melodist. He was born around the year 490 in Emesa (today Homs) in Syria and was a theologian, poet, and composer and in fact, belongs to the group of theologians that have transformed theology into poetry,” the Pope said. “He learned the foundations of Greek and Syrian culture in his native city, and then moved to Beritus (now Beirut), to complete his classical education and knowledge of rhetoric. After being ordained permanent deacon -- around 515 -- he was a preacher in this city for three years. He then moved to Constantinople, until the end of the reign of Anastasius I -- around 518 -- and from there he settled in at the monastery of the Church of the Theotokos, Mother of God.” A key moment of his life took place there: Mary appeared to him in his dreams and gave him the gift of poetic charism, which he exercised from the next morning until his death around 555.
“Romanus is known in history as one of the most representative authors of liturgical hymns,” the Holy Father said. He invented a “lively and original method of catechesis,” evident in his homilies preached in a shrine on the outskirts of Constantinople: “Through his compositions we can see the creativity of this form of catechesis, of the creativity of the theological thought, of the aesthetic and the sacred hymnography of the era... he would ascend the pulpit, located in the center of the Church, and he would speak to the community using a rather elaborate setting -- he used images on the walls or icons on the pulpit to illustrate his homilies, and even used dialogue. He recited chanted metrical hymns, called kontakia.” There are 89 kontakia attributed today to Romanus, but tradition attributes a thousand to him, written in simple Greek, close to the language of the people.
Reflecting on some of his main themes, the Holy Father first cited “the unity of the action of God in history, the unity between creation and the history of salvation, unity between the Old and New Testaments. Another important theme is pneumatology, the doctrine on the Holy Spirit... Another central theme is, of course, Christology. He does not involve himself in the difficult theological concepts, highly debated at that time, which tore at the unity among theologians and Christians in the Church. He preached a simple Christology, but fundamental, the Christology of the great councils. But above all he spoke of popular piety... Regarding what he said about Mariology, in thanksgiving to the Virgin for the give of poetic charism, Romanus remembers her at the end of almost all of his hymns, and he dedicated to her some of his most beautiful kontakia: Christmas, Annunciation, Divine Motherhood, New Eve. Lastly, his moral teachings are related to the last judgement. He takes us to this moment of truth of our lives, the appearance before the just Judge, and for this he exhorts us to conversion in penitence and fasting.”
Concluding his catechesis, the Holy Father pointed out that “This great poet and composer reminds us of the entire treasure of Christian culture, born of faith, born of the heart that has found Christ, the Son of God. From this contact of the heart with the truth that is love, culture is born, the entire great Christian culture. And if the faith continues to live, this cultural inheritance will not die, but rather it will continue to live and be current. Icons continue to speak to the hearts of believers to this day, they are not things of the past. The cathedrals are not medieval monuments, rather houses of life, where we feel ‘at home’: where we find God and each other. Neither is great music -- the Gregorian chant, Bach or Mozart -- something of the past, rather it lives in the vitality of the liturgy and our faith. If faith is alive, Christian culture will never be ‘outdated,’ but rather will remain alive and present.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 23/5/2008; righe 50, parole 703)