Related: Historical women of faith
Our take: Pope Benedict XVI recently granted Hildegard Von Bingen, a 12th century German nun, sainthood. Although she has been considered a saint in popular culture, her official declaration didn't come until this month. Considered the first officially recognized prophetess, von Bingen has been a cult hit with feminists who expected her sainthood to come soon, as the Pope had been referencing her many writings for a number of years in his speeches. She was considered a woman of tremendous faith and wisdom, counseling kings, popes and other male leaders of her day, which was extremely rare for a woman.
Here are two things that don't typically go together: Pope Benedict XVI and feminist culture.
Yet they both share a veneration for Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century German nun who was the first woman to be officially recognized as a "prophetess" by the Roman Catholic Church.
On Thursday (May 10), Benedict ordered Hildegard, who died in 1179, to be inscribed "in the catalogue of saints," thus extending her cult "to the universal church."
Despite having been considered a saint for centuries, the visionary abbess's sainthood had never been officially recognized. It befell to Benedict, who is rumored to have plans to make her a "Doctor of the church," to set things straight.
Read more about Hildegard Von Bingen at the Huffington Post.