POPE RECEIVES LEADERS OF JOHN PAUL II CULTURAL CENTER

VATICAN CITY, NOV 8, 2002 (VIS) - Pope John Paul this morning welcomed 90 administrators and supporters of the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., who are in Rome on their annual visit, and he thanked them for supporting the Center's "efforts to present the Catholic tradition in its richness and cultural relevance."

"The mission of the Center, so close to my heart," he affirmed, "is inspired by the firm conviction that Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, is the center of human history and the key which unlocks the mystery of man and reveals his sublime calling. To build a world more worthy of humanity, it is urgent that Christ be proclaimed with joy and conviction as 'the way and the truth and the life'."

"The Cultural Center," the Pope concluded," is committed to showing how the Gospel responds to our deepest yearnings and highest aspirations as these find expression in the cultures which shape the future of our world."

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