CENTER'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE FAITH-CULTURE DIALOGUE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received 130 friends and supporters of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., and expressed his "gratitude to all who have supported its mission of advancing dialogue and mutual enrichment between the worlds of faith and culture."

In May 1996 the Pope received a group of people who had proposed and planned this center, and he blessed the cornerstone of the future building which, he said at the time, "contained a part from the area of the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican Basilica." He received a group again in 1998, recalling that the ground-breaking ceremony had taken place the previous September.

"The planning of the Center," John Paul II said today, "was inspired by the Church's firm conviction that only the mystery of Jesus Christ sheds full light on the mystery of man and can therefore provide a sure foundation for the authentic progress of the human family in justice, peace and solidarity."

"Today," he remarked, "as the Church approaches the Third Millennium of the Incarnation, I pray that the Center, with its intellectual, artistic and cultural activity, will help to bring the Church's rich tradition and experience to bear on the great human and ethical issues which are shaping the future of your society."

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