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Museum honoring pope opens in Washington

Edmund Cardinal Szoka
Pope John Paul II gave a chalice to the center, presented in Washington by his personal representative, Cardinal Edmund Szoka  

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'Gift of God's spirit'

Sending a message

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Cardinal Adam Maida was dining with Pope John Paul II more than 10 years ago when the idea for a new museum was born.

"I said, Holy father, in the United States, we have presidential libraries; maybe we ought to capture your time as a pope," said Maida, now the archbishop of Detroit, Michigan.

The pope liked the idea, recalled Maida, but insisted such a museum should not focus on him alone.

On Thursday, President Bush joined Catholic leaders to celebrate the official opening of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, a facility that focuses on more than just the pontiff.

The president thanked the pope for choosing Washington as the site for the center, which will give visitors interactive exposure to the Catholic faith.

"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," said Bush, whose words drew a warm response from the crowd.

'Gift of God's spirit'

Cardinal Edmund Szoka, speaking as a personal representative of the pope, read to the crowd a letter from the Vatican.

President Bush with Theodore Cardinal McCarrick
President Bush with Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., at the dedication of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center  

"May all who visit the center come to know the joyful hope which is the gift of God's spirit and the support of all who strive to build a world ever more worthy of the human family," the pope said.

Although it doesn't focus solely on the pope, the museum does feature several items from John Paul II, who in 1978 became the first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries. His skis are in one corner, along with his handprint, cast in bronze, and photos of him as a young priest.

The center, located on a 12-acre site adjacent to The Catholic University of America, combines centuries of Roman Catholic history with such modern- day technology as an interactive computer gallery.

Sending a message

Visitors can design their own stained-glass window or record a testimony of faith. Another popular feature with preview tours has been the bell-ringing station, where up to six people take up positions around a small hexagonal base. Visitors put on headphones and are cued to pull their respective ropes in turn, playing a religious hymn that's audible on their headphones if they get it right.

"One of our missions for the cultural center was to utilize the best in technology to showcase the message of the church," said the Rev. G. Michael Bugarin, the center's director.

There also are multicultural images of the Virgin Mary, including a Chinese Madonna that once stood in a papal bedroom, along with earthly indulgences like fudge made by monks. Visitors can learn about nine other faiths in a corner devoted to the world's religions.

"I feel when people come through this center, they're going to be just uplifted, spiritually inspired, and I think they're going to be better people," Maida said.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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