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On October 7, feast of the Holy Rosary, Pope Benedict will declare Saints Hildegard and John of Avila Doctors of the Church. Hildegard will be the fourth woman doctor.  After October 7, there will be thirty-five saints declared Doctors.

During his Regina Coeli address on Pentecost Sunday, Pope Benedict announced that he will proclaim St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen doctors of the Church on October 7, at the beginning of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.

Last August, while on his apostolic journey to Spain for World Youth Day, Pope Benedict announced his intention to proclaim St. John of Avila a Church doctor but did not set a date. Earlier this month, the Pontiff announced St. Hildegard’s “equivalent canonization.”