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VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI described the Beijing Olympic Games
as “an event of great importance for the entire human family” as
he received the China Philharmonic at the Vatican on Wednesday.
It was the pontiff’s first remarks on the
upcoming Olympiad, which have been the target of global controversy
since unrest broke out in Tibet in March, prompting a crackdown by
the Communist Party regime in Beijing.
Speaking at a performance in his honor, the
leader of the Roman Catholic Church expressed “a special thought
for those of your fellow (Chinese) citizens who share faith in Jesus
and are united through a particular spiritual bond with the
Successor of Peter”.
He added: “As I thank you once again for this
most welcome tribute, I send my greetings, through you, to all the
people of China as they prepare for the Olympic Games, an event of
great importance for the entire human family.”
The China Philharmonic, joined by the Shanghai
Opera House Chorus, performed Mozart’s “Requiem” at a moment
when the Roman Catholic Church is striving to build bridges with
China, where it has an estimated eight million to 12 million
underground followers.
“In a group of such accomplished artists, we
see represented the great cultural and musical tradition of China,
and this performance helps us to understand better the history of
the Chinese people, their values and their noble aspirations,” the
pope said.
He added: “It is worth emphasizing that this
performance by Chinese artists of one of Mozart’s greatest works
brings together their own musical talent and Western music.”
“Music, and art in general, can serve as a
privileged instrument for encounter and reciprocal knowledge and
esteem between different populations and cultures, a means
attainable by all for valuing the universal language of art.”
Concluding his remarks, Pope Benedict said in
Chinese: “I thank you all and I offer you my best wishes.”
-- AFP
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