Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale366

visible, and the more one shares them, the more they are possessed. Globa-

lization has increased the interdependence of peoples, with their different

traditions, religions and systems of education. This means that the peoples

of the world, for all their differences, are constantly learning about one

another and coming into much greater contact. All the more important, then,

is the need for a dialogue which can help people to understand their own

traditions vis-à-vis those of others, to develop greater self-awareness in the

face of challenges to their identity, and thus to promote understanding and

the acknowledgement of true human values within an intercultural perspec-

tive. To meet these challenges, a just equality of opportunity, especially in

the field of education and the transmission of knowledge, is urgently needed.

Regrettably, education, especially at the primary level, remains dramatically

insufficient in many parts of the world.

To meet these challenges, only love for neighbour can inspire within us

justice at the service of life and the promotion of human dignity. Only love

within the family, founded on a man and a woman, who are created in the

image of God, can assure that inter-generational solidarity which transmits

love and justice to future generations. Only charity can encourage us to place

the human person once more at the centre of life in society and at the centre

of a globalized world governed by justice.

With these considerations, dear Members of the Academy, I encourage

you as you carry forward your important work. Upon you and your loved

ones I cordially invoke God's blessings of wisdom, joy and peace.

From the Vatican, 28 April 2007.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI