POPE WELCOMES LEADERS OF CULTURAL CENTER IN WASHINGTON

VATICAN CITY, NOV 7, 2001 (VIS) - Last evening the Holy Father welcomed to the Vatican Cardinal Adam Maida, archbishop of Detroit, and other leaders and benefactors of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. for the first time since the center's inauguration.

He thanked the cardinal for his report on the Center's "mission of advancing the Church's dialogue with the various forms in which the universal human quest for truth and meaning is expressed."

The Pope added that "The tragic events which have shaken the international community in the past two months have made us all aware once again of the fragility of peace and the need to build a culture of respectful dialogue and cooperation between all the members of the human family. I am confident that the Catholic community in the United States will continue to uphold the value of understanding and dialogue among the followers of the world's religions.

"As you know," he affirmed, "the Church's commitment to this dialogue is ultimately inspired by her conviction that the Gospel message has the power to enlighten all cultures and to act as a saving leaven of unity and peace for all humanity. In a world of growing cultural and religious pluralism, such dialogue is essential for overcoming tragic conflicts inherited from the past, and for insuring that the name of the one God become increasingly what it is: 'a name of peace and a summons to peace'."

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