Antioch, Turkey, Sep 26, 2005 / 22:00 pm
"The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI welcomed with joy the news of the first Encounter of Civilizations, celebrated in Antioch from September 25 to 30. He sent his warm greetings to the organizers of the conference, assuring them of his prayers so that the participants could deepen these values recognizing the centrality of the person and promotes the mutual understanding, respect and peace, in their determination to celebrate the cultural and spiritual heritage of each one."
This message was send, on behalf of Pope Benedict, by Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, to the numerous religious and political leaders, experts and ambassadors of more than 40 countries gathered in Turkey.
The message of the pope was read last Sunday in the inauguration of that event. After emphasizing that the city of Antioch was "a testimony of the succession of various civilizations," Benedict XVI pointed to the fact that, "we can’t forget the lessons of the past, as we are confronted to today’s challenges."
"It is something urgent in an era of globalization, in which the danger that the fundamental human values can be sacrificed in the name of progress or lost because of destructive secular ideologies."