At historic Austrian monastery, pope underlines power of prayer

Published: 2007-09-10

HEILIGENKREUZ, Austria (CNS) -- In a visit to one of the world's oldest monasteries, Pope Benedict XVI underlined the power of prayer as a form of "service to the world." The pope, winding up a three-day visit to Austria Sept. 9, paid a call on the Cistercian Abbey of the Holy Cross, the oldest continuously active Cistercian monastery in the world. He was given a rousing welcome, first by hundreds of local children gathered in the monastic courtyard, then by the monks and faithful assembled inside the stone medieval church. Founded in 1135, the Heiligenkreuz monastic community brought Christianity to the region, and today it has about 80 monks. Its pontifical theological academy is thriving with more than 100 students. Addressing the community, the pope spoke about St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism, and his central commands to his monks: first to pray, then to work.

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