Alle 12 di questa mattina, nella Sala Clementina del Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano, il Santo Padre Giovanni Paolo II ha ricevuto in Udienza i Membri del "John Paul II Cultural Center" di Washington ed ha loro rivolto le parole di saluto che pubblichiamo di seguito:

Dear Cardinal Maida,

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Almost to the day, three years ago, we were spiritually united in the joy of the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cultural Center, and now you are in the final stages of building, with a view to its opening in the new year. Your visit gives me the opportunity to express once more my heartfelt gratitude to those who have supported the project and worked for its realization.

The importance of the Center lies in the fact that it is an instrument of evangelization. Its purpose is not to honor a particular person but to contribute, using the means provided by modern technology, to making the Church and her message better known and understood. The celebration of the Jubilee Year has shown that people everywhere are not only eager to profess the truths of faith but eager also to build and strengthen the sense of Catholic community through religious and cultural activities. One of the principal issues of our day is the relationship between faith and culture. I wish to encourage you in your efforts to ensure that the Center provides opportunities for the study of important themes affecting Christian life in the present cultural climate of your country. Your task is to make the Center a promoter of activities aimed at communicating to a wide audience the treasures of our Catholic heritage.

With gratitude and encouragement therefore I bless your efforts, and I invoke the abundant gifts of the Lord upon you and your families. May your visit to Rome during the Jubilee Year bring you inner peace and a renewed love of the Church.

[01908-02.01] [Original text: English]