Pope Sees Art as Instrument of New Evangelization

Quoting the Second Vatican Council, John Paul II said that art enables "knowledge of God to be manifested in a better way and the preaching of the Gospel to be more transparent to the intelligence of men." ... This fact is particularly necessary in a globalized society, because "ecclesiastical cultural riches constitute a favorable terrain for the fruitful exchange among cultures," he added. The topic of the commission's assembly was "Cultural Riches for Territorial Identity and Artistic-Cultural Dialogue Among Peoples." ... In order to understand Christian art, the Pope said, its "aesthetic end" must not be separated from "the religious end pursued" by these works.