On March 22, a new museum will open in Washington D. C. Built by donations, this museum is called the "Pope John Paul II Cultural Center -- part museum, part think tank and part interactive tribute -- just off the campus of Catholic University."

The current pope chose Washington over Rome and even his native country of Poland. The reason, according to the cardinal who was the moving force behind the building is that Pope John Paul II sees Washington as the crossroads of the world.

The museum will contain rotating exhibits as well as permanent ones. While the museum is named after the pope, it is a museum of the Catholic faith, doctrine, and history. It will also be rather high tech.

Among the permanent exhibits is the Gallery of Mary, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The Gallery features a floor-to-ceiling, three-dimensional structure that resembles six doorways. The Mary Doorways, which symbolize the themes of hospitality and diversity, pay tribute to Mary through icons which display exceptional, multicultural images of the Blessed Virgin.

As visitors walk through each doorway, they will examine different interpretations of her status as a beacon of the Catholic faith, while listening to the hymn Immaculate Mary. Each “doorway” is dedicated to a specific culture’s veneration of Mary. Along with the culture’s icon of Mary, the doorway displays images of the Basilica devoted to Mary and traditional folk arts of that country.

On the intellectual side there will be a forum where discussions can be held.

The intellectual heart of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center will be the Intercultural Forum or research center. The Forum will bring together some of the world's leading scholars of theology, philosophy, history and related areas to study, discuss, write and teach about the interaction between faith and culture. . . .

The Forum will also be the focus of a wide range of activities relating to faith and culture. While unambiguously Catholic in its nature and mission, the Center will be a forum in which representatives of many backgrounds may come together in a spirit of peace and respect to engage in dialogue. In this effort, the Center will be the venue for many lectures, seminars, presentations, exhibits and publications.

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For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
_________________________

Linda

The museum/cultural center was dedicated with a speech by George W. Bush. Here are a few paragraphs of his address.

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PRESIDENT BUSH:
When Cardinal Wojtyla spoke here at Catholic University in 1976, few imagined the course his life would take, or the history his life would shape. In 1978, most of the world knew him only as the Polish Pope. There were signs of something different and deeper. . . .

And we're responsible to stand for human dignity and religious freedom wherever they are denied, from Cuba to China to Southern Sudan. (Applause.) And we, in our country, must not ignore the words the Pope addresses to us. On his four pilgrimages to America, he has spoken with wisdom and feeling about our strengths and our flaws, our successes and our needs.

The Pope reminds us that while freedom defines our nation, responsibility must define our lives. He challenges us to live up to our aspirations, to be a fair and just society where all are welcomed, all are valued, and all are protected. And he is never more eloquent than when he speaks for a culture of life. (Applause.) The culture of life is a welcoming culture, never excluding, never dividing, never despairing and always affirming the goodness of life in all its seasons.

In the culture of life we must make room for the stranger. We must comfort the sick. We must care for the aged. We must welcome the immigrant. We must teach our children to be gentle with one another. We must defend in love the innocent child waiting to be born.

The center we dedicate today celebrates the Pope's message, its comfort and its challenge. This place stands for the dignity of the human person, the value of every life and the splendor of truth. And, above all, it stands, in the Pope's words, for the "joy of faith in a troubled world."

I'm grateful that Pope John Paul II chose Washington as the site of this center. It brings honor and it fills a need. We are thankful for the message. We are also thankful for the messenger, for his personal warmth and prophetic strength; for his good humor and his bracing honesty; for his spiritual and intellectual gifts; for his moral courage, tested against tyranny and against our own complacency.

Always, the Pope points us to the things that last and the love that saves. We thank God for this rare man, a servant of God and a hero of history. And I thank all of you for building this center of conscience and reflection in our Nation's Capital.

God bless.

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For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
_________________________

Linda