Pope Francis receives a delegation of the Fo Guang Shan Humanistic Buddhism Association from Taiwan

It is curious to watch the Vatican persist in its attempts to take part in the international political agenda. The Pope, all the same, delivered a very measured speech on the importance of cooperation.

"The culture of encounter builds bridges and opens windows to the sacred values and convictions that inspire others. It brings down the walls that divide people and hold them captive to prejudice or indifference."

I liked his recourse to a quotation from one of Francis's earlier addresses, with its words about the temples that believers have built throughout history as oases of encounter, where one might draw the inspiration needed for a wise and prosperous life.

It is interesting what the pontiff managed to say about art: "The masterpieces of religious art that surround us in the Vatican and throughout Rome reflect the conviction that in Jesus Christ God himself became a 'pilgrim' in this world out of love for our human family."