Dear Cardinal Maida,
Distinguished Friends in Christ,

I am pleased to greet you, the Trustees of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, and I offer you a warm welcome.

It is with gratitude and encouragement that I note your efforts to promote contact, interaction and understanding between different peoples and cultures. In fact, it is just such mutual exchange that is so necessary today for building the culture of peace, the civilization of love that must ever be the guiding light for our world in this new millennium.

May your work in this area be crowned with success.  Thank you for your commitment, and God bless you always!