When Benedict XVI was elected to the papacy in 2005, he continued to deliver the weekly General Audiences on the psalms and canticles that comprise Vespers using the text that John Paul II had prepared.  After completing that cycle of talks in February 2006, Benedict began his own series on the great figures of the history of the Church with the stated intention of reflecting on “the mystery of the relation between Christ and the Church.” As part of this series of audiences, which lasted until April 2011, Benedict delivered 160 addresses on the most significant figures in the history of early, medieval, and early-modern Christianity, proceeding chronologically from the Apostles, through the Eastern and Western Church Fathers and Doctors and concluding with Thérèse of Lisieux. These audiences can be counted among the most important contributions of Benedict’s pontificate not only by reason of their numerical extent and historical breadth, but especially on account of their pastoral and theological significance.

The following table summarizes the entire cycle of audiences. Links to Vatican text of each address are listed below.