Here we see John Paul II’s commitment of the unification of faith, while recognizing their differences and openly sharing each others human origin.

“In 1986 he became the first pontiff known to have entered a synagogue, when he embraced the chief rabbi at the Great Synagogue of Rome”

“His special efforts on Catholic relations with Jews and Judaism — unique among other religions as elder brother of Christianity, with its ongoing, irrevocable covenant with God — will be remembered as a hallmark of his papacy”

“John Paul had become the first head of his church to meet with the Sheikh-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam’s highest religious authorities. the next year, in May 2001, John Paul became the first pope ever to enter a mosque, the Great Mosque of Demascus (also known as the Umayyad Mosque), where, in the company of Muslim clerics, he prayed at the shrine of St. John the Baptist. From the beginning of his pontificate, he held nearly 50 substantive meetings with Muslim leaders – far more than those of all previous popes combined.”

“The Popes’s dialogue efforts focused especially on Islam — the great monotheistic faith that, like Christianity and Judaism, claims Abraham as its father in faith and the God of Abraham as it God.”

“Pope John Paul met several times with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, and with Buddhist Shintoist, Zen, and other Eastern religious representatives. In Thailand in 1984, he visited the country’s 87-year old supreme Buddhist patriarch, Vasana Tara, as the patriarch meditated in front of a golden statue of Buddha.”

What trying times we are going through. We here at the John Paul II International Film Festival are truly experiencing the challenge of our own theme this year, Faith through the Storm. Because there is a storm brewing especially here in Miami. As Laura would say our faith must allow us to move inside the eye of the storm, for we are surrounded by mighty winds that look to tear us down. As much as I would like to find myself out of the storm completely, it is only in the center of this phenomenon that allows me to see straight into the skies of heaven. For they unfold in such a spectacular way and if we are not inside how could we ever be a witness to this. Spiritually speaking we must accept the storm and ride it out through the grace of heaven at its center.

I was sitting here contemplating the event at hand. It just really dawned on me that we are blessed to have the opportunity to be inter-faith. What this means is that our invitation is open to those of all faiths and many different beliefs. Indifference and ignorance is what separates us today and I find many people who only focus on that subject, the negative. But what of John Paul II? He believed in the unity of faith, not just Christian faith. We are able to provide a breeding ground for the unification of faiths to share a weekend of positive communion. Through art, we can share our humanity. Through creation, we can express our human characteristics rather than our theological arguments. We can focus on that which is humanistic. By allowing ourselves to come together in these terms we allow divine grace to minister to us. One thing John Paul II made sure everyone knew was that we cannot escape our human origin. With this solitary fact, we are all united despite what religion we are, race, culture, or gender.

Lets embrace this event. Something bigger is going on behind the curtains that not even we can see(referring to the crew). This is a call to all faiths to join this celebration of life and hope. Come to the festival to not only be a member of the audience as you are at the movies, but come and become part of the festival. Leave with more than a ticket stub. Leave with profound knowledge that you’ve never had before, come to learn of a culture other than your own, step out of your comfort zone and take a piece of this event away with you in the deepest core of your human heart. That is what we are about and that is our goal. Film is entertainment of course, but if we look closely we can learn something about ourselves. This is the promise of the festival. Our films are carefully selected to allow your heart to be flooded with artistic passion and a positive message that encourages in times of despair.

Please check back for the update of our films mid August on our website. May the peace of Christ and the love of Mary be with you all.