Saint Colombano, "with his spiritual energy, with his faith, has truly become one of the fathers of Europe, who still shows us where the roots are, on which this Europe of ours can be reborn". With these words, spoken off the cuff, the Pope ended the catechesis for today’s general audience in Saint Peter’s Square in front of about 15 thousand devotees. With reference to the "re-evangelisation" work accomplished by Saint Colombano on the coast of Brittany, Benedict XVI pointed out that "the fame of those foreign religious people who, living of prayer and austerity, built houses and tilled the land, quickly spread and attracted pilgrims and repentant sinners". "An exemplary life that rebuilt the land and the souls", this is how Benedict XVI defined it, speaking off the cuff and highlighting that "many young people asked to live like them". Saint Colombano’s message, commented the Holy Father, off the cuff, was a message "against rampant corruption", to convert "the land and human society as well".
