Pope coming to UN to promote dialogue among religions, cultures

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pope Benedict XVI is coming to the United Nations next week as "a pilgrim of peace" to promote dialogue between people of different cultures and religions based on fundamental human rights that are non-negotiable, the Holy See's UN observer said Thursday. Archbishop Celestine Migliore said there are too many world crises for the pope to deal with in his speech to the General Assembly next Friday, but in his address to representatives of the 192 UN member states he will talk about how the search for peace has changed in the 21st century's pluralistic, fragmented world. "For a long time, peace was a question of limiting or putting an end to conflicts among states or warlords," Migliore said. "Today...it's a matter of building peace among peoples who have a clear perception of the diversity of their respective cultures, civilizations, religions, ... of human rights, of society, of human existence."