The General Audience:

The “inseparable ties” linking Christianity to the Jewish faith “as to its perennially alive and valid womb”, and the need to concretely express one’s faith in good works, are the two qualifying elements of the legacy of James “the Less”, the apostle to who Benedict XVI dedicated his meditation today. The pope was addressing a crowd of around 40,000 people in St Peter’s Square for the general audience. There was a festive atmosphere, despite the very hot weather that prompted the pope – for the second consecutive week – to “cut short” his prepared speech which, he smilingly assured the crowd, they would “be able to read in the Osservatore Romano”.