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Sends Encouragement to Courtyard of the Gentiles Event

ROME, NOV. 17, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The search for truth is a journey that must be made united, says Benedict XVI, as he sent words of encouragement to a “Courtyard of the Gentiles” event held this week in Albania.

The Monday through Tuesday gathering was held in Tirana, and had the theme “Collaborators of the Truth.”

The Holy Father referred to the event as a valuable occasion both of encounter and confrontation, to “walk together toward the truth.”

The papal message was entrusted by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and promoter of the initiative.

At the beginning of this year, the Vatican launched the “Courtyard of the Gentiles,” an initiative proposed by Benedict XVI in an address to the Roman Curia at the end of 2009.

It is a permanent Vatican structure to promote dialogue and encounter between believers and nonbelievers.

The courtyard of the Gentiles refers to a space in the ancient Temple of Jerusalem that was not reserved for the Jews, but rather was open to any person independent of his culture or religion.