BELONGING TO DIFFERENT CULTURES IS NOT A BARRICADE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 12, 2003 (VIS) - Archbishop Giuseppe Pittau, S.J., secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, spoke on behalf of the Holy See Delegation in the twenty-first Session of the Conference of European Ministers of Education, celebrated in Athens, Greece on November 10-12.

In his speech, the archbishop underscored that the session, which is on 'Intercultural Education: managing diversity, strengthening democracy, has never been more relevant. The beginning of this new millennium is characterized by the colossal occurrence of human mobility and emigration, which makes our European societies ever more multiethnic and multicultural.'

The prelate recognized the success of efforts to foster inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue which 'allows us to anticipate a vision of unity in diversity' and gives us 'hope for the future.'

'It is important,' he went on, 'to know how to appreciate the values of one's own culture; but it is also necessary to avoid transforming one's sense of cultural belonging into a barricade against others. A necessary antidote to this danger is the serene knowledge of other cultures, which is not conditioned by negative prejudices.'

The Holy See delegate emphasized the responsibility of educators to teach the 'respect for other cultures, and encourage people to discover the richness of the history and values of others. ' This inter-cultural perspective brings with it a real paradigmatic shift on the pedagogical level, passing from more or less successful models of integration and respect for diversity, to the search for living in a harmony of differences.'
Keys: ;INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION;...;PITTAU ;VIS;20031112;Word: 260;