March 28, 2011. Benedict XVI concluded the meeting of the 'Court of the
Gentiles' with a videoconference. The conference is being promoted by
the Vatican to improve dialogue between believers and nonbelievers.
The meeting took place in Paris.
The pope addressed the thousands who were in attendance
at the Notre Dame Cathedral, saying that God "is not a danger to
society" but is "one of the great questions of our time."
He stressed the importance of breaking down the
walls that exist between believes and nonbelievers, which he said are
often "born of mutual ignorance, skepticism or
indifference."
He noted that religions do not have to be
afraid of a “fair secularism,” that allows everyone to live
“according to their conscience.”
Benedict XVI said that one of the main objectives of
the Court of the Gentiles “is to promote brotherhood” beyond
belief without denying the differences.
The conferences took place at UNESCO, the Sorbonne, and
the French Academy, meeting with the motto: “Enlightenment,
religion and common reason.”
The
Court of the Gentiles is named after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
where non-Jews could enter and ask religious questions.
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