Over 300 letters, nearly 600 sermons, overall 1,031 writings written, filed by his friend Possidius just after his death. These are the "statistics" about Saint Augustine, "the father of the Church who left the greatest number of works", recalled today the Pope in his fourth general audience focussed on the Saint. According to Benedict XVI, Augustine wrote "some chapters that are important not only for the history of Christianity but also for the development of all Western culture". The "clearest example" of this are the Confessiones, "one of the books of antiquity which are still most commonly read", the thirteen books of which were written between 347 and 400.” “"An autobiography written as a sort of conversation with God", through which "we can follow, step by step, the inner journey of a man who was passionate about God", this is how the Pope defined it; according to the Pope, "two meanings are entwined" in the Confessiones: "the confession of one’s weaknesses, the misery of sin and the praise to God, the acknowledgement to God, the thanking of God for God loves us, accepts us and transforms us, for He raises us to Himself". The Confessiones "were very successful, even while Augustine was alive", recalled the Holy Father, to such an extent that he wrote: "My Confessiones had such an effect on myself as I was writing them, and they still have such an effect when I read them over and over again, and there are many brothers who like them". "I am one of these brothers", revealed the Pope.” “
