VATICAN CITY, DEC 16, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received participants in an international congress on the theme: "The Concept of Museum: identity, task, prospects." The congress, held from December 13 to 15, was the final event of this year's celebrations marking the fifth centenary of the Vatican Museums.
"The Vatican Museums," said the Pope, "present an extraordinary opportunity for evangelization because, through the various exhibits on display, they provide visitors with an eloquent testimony of the close and constant bond between the divine and the human in the life and history of peoples."
Benedict XVI noted how the function of the Museum "has changed perceptibly. … From being a privilege it has become a right; from being a center reserved for artists, specialists and men of culture, it has now become a 'home' for everyone, thus responding to a widespread need for education in society."
After highlighting how, in the Museums, new generations "may recognize the roots of their history and culture," the Pope encouraged "all initiatives that favor the integration and meeting of individuals and peoples."
In this context he added: "Even taking account of the new social conditions, the Museums can also be a place for artistic mediation, links between the past, the present and the future, a crossroads for men and women from different continents, and research laboratories and centers for cultural and spiritual enrichment."
Dialogue between cultures and religions, he concluded, "cannot but facilitate mutual knowledge and render more fruitful the efforts to build a shared future of progress solidarity and peace for all humanity. The Museums can help to spread the culture of peace if, while maintaining their status as temples of historical memory, they also become places of dialogue and friendship among everyone."
AC/VATICAN MUSEUMS/... VIS 20061218 (300)
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