Audience (meeting)

Under Audience ( audire of Latin, ( to ) hear ' ) refers to a personal " hearing ", a Vorlassung to a person significantly higher ranking. If one has to seek the permission of that person, as a an audience is granted. Does it serve the personal interview, is spoken by a private audience.

Any time to be able uncalled obtain an audience, ie the right to Immediatvortrag, was considered a very high privilege.

General

Today the term is usually used in conjunction with a visit to the Pope or a secular monarch, ironic but also elsewhere.

In the earlier language of the courts was understood audience a court session, in particular the German Imperial Chamber Court and the French parliaments, but also an interrogation, a preliminary or a hearing. In Castile and later in Spain and its colonial empire, the Real Audiencia ( Royal Audience dt ) was the highest judicial body. The Audiencia Nacional de España is still one of the highest courts of Spain.

Papal Audience

In a papal audience, one can distinguish three types according to the number of participants:

• Private audience
• Group audience
• General Audience

Approximately 2.3 million people in 2010 to audiences or church by Pope Benedict XVI. participated in Rome and Castel Gandolfo. 493,000 visitors came to the mittwöchlichen General Audiences, 1.2 million people attended the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter's Square, the Pope met 178,000 people in individual or group audiences and 381,000 faithful participated in the liturgical celebrations in part with the Pope. The number of participants for the Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, as well as for major events such as the Saints in St. Peter's Square or the conclusion of the International Year for Priests in June 2001 is based on approximate estimates. Not included are also the people who received the Pope during his trips abroad and his visits within Italy.

Private audience

You will find as an individual or group audiences usually take place in the private library of the Pope. Here, the Pope receives bishops who tell him about the status of their dioceses. In addition, the Pope is still visited by politicians, academics, diplomats and other representatives of the cultural and social life. In the Pope are 450-500 such private audiences.

Group audience

Larger groups of clergy, participants of congresses and conferences and also groups of pilgrims, the Pope receives in the rooms of the Apostolic Palace, more than 2,000 people, but in the Vatican audience hall.

General Audience

Every Wednesday, mostly in the morning at 10:30 clock instead of a so-called general audience (Wednesday Audience) of the Pope in St. Peter's square in front of St. Peter's. During the winter months and in bad weather it will be held in the Vatican audience hall. Due to the large crowds came here in the years of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. several times to the fact that some of the participants found no place in the hall of audience, and therefore also had to dodge in St. Peter's Basilica, which is why Benedict XVI. subsequently came to the transmitted via loudspeaker general audience to a short speech in St. Peter's Basilica. Since the pontificate of Pope Francis, the number of participants has tripled. This is mainly due to the strong increase of the pilgrims from Italy. Newlyweds are received normally by Pope Francis personally.

The weekly general audience was by Pope Pius XI. introduced during the Holy Year 1925.