Vatican expert urges religions to promote cross-cultural encounters

Published: 2007-05-14

UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- Religious communities have a great responsibility to promote cross-cultural understanding as a step toward world peace, the president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences said during a panel discussion at U.N. headquarters in New York May 10. In addition to her Vatican post, Mary Ann Glendon is a law professor at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. She joined in a panel on "Religion in Contemporary Society" during what is called "informal thematic debate" of the U.N. General Assembly on the theme "Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities." Glendon said the challenge facing religious and cultural leaders is "motivating their followers to meet others on the plane of reason and mutual respect, while remaining true to themselves and their own beliefs." Obstacles to achieving that goal "include not only misunderstandings about the faith of others, but also a poor grounding in one's own faith," she said.

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .