Pope Benedict XVI presents St. Thomas Aquinas, the “Doctor Communis,” as a central figure in medieval thought and a model for Catholic theology. Thomas comes from a noble family, overcomes parental opposition to enter the Dominican Order, and encounters Aristotle’s philosophy during his studies in Naples and with St. Albert the Great. Benedict situates his vocation within the tension between Aristotelian rational inquiry and the Christian faith, which Thomas helps the Church to navigate.