Washington celebrates opening of Pope John Paul II Cultural Center

Washington D.C. - President George W. Bush joined Catholic church leaders in welcoming the capital city’s newest tourist destination, officially opening the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. Led by Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit and the Cultural Center’s president, and Cardinals Theodore McCarrick of Washington and Bernard Law of Boston, the ceremony drew nearly 1,200 prominent Catholic lay people and clergy, in addition to members of Congress and local government officials.

The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center is a one-of-a-kind institution that brings a new dimension to the Washington tourism experience. The Center provides a dynamic environment in which visitors of all ages and denominations can explore their faith and learn about the role of faith in the modern age. Combining state-of-the-art exhibits from the Vatican Museums with the history of Catholicism, the Center offers visitors personalized journeys through a series of interactive galleries and displays designed to engage minds and nourish souls.

Edmond Cardinal Szoka, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican, delivered a message from the Holy Father commemorating the occasion:

"From the beginning of my Pontificate, I have sought to foster a fruitful and creative dialogue between faith and culture. I am grateful therefore that the new center was planned as a means of introducing its visitors to the Catholic cultural life and as a place of study and reflection on the themes related to the religious and humanitarian mission which the church is called to carry forward at the dawn of the Third Millennium. It is my prayer that the center’s intellectual, artistic, and cultural activity will show the power of faith to illuminate human history and experience, and help many to discover more fully the beauty of the Gospel vision of many and his transcendent destiny."

The center is also home to the Intercultural Forum, an academic component that will include as many as a dozen distinguished scholars who will occupy endowed chairs dedicated to the study and understanding of papal teachings and world cultures. Beginning in 2002, the scholars will conduct research, write, and lecture on a variety of issues related to the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and build relationships with other religious education institutions. The center has reached its first fundraising goal of $65 million to provide for the building’s construction and support first-year operations. The eight-year fundraising effort has generated contributions from 56,000 donors ranging from a few dollars to $5 million.