This 8-foot, cast bronze mural depicting the life of Pope John Paul II is part of the Pittsburgh area's unique presence at the 5-year-old Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. The mural was manufactured using a new process and donated to the center by Matthews International Corp. of Pittsburgh.

By Ann Rodgers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center is a museum where visitors can leave a bit of themselves behind.

Most do that through videos they record on what they have learned about faith and culture. Pittsburghers have a unique presence, however, playing key roles in creating the center and running it and through contributions of art, including a bronze mural depicting the late pope's life.

The center, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary next year, was the dream of Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit, a Pittsburgher. His original idea was to build a papal museum in Poland.

	Kenneth Lambert, Associated Press A bronze lifecast of the pontiff's hand is one of 25 such imprints, depicting different Catholics in the "Hands of Peace" exhibit at The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. At left, in this file photo taken before the center's 2001 opening, is the Rev. G. Michael Bugarin. Click photo for larger image.

But Pope John Paul thought it should be about the relationship of faith to culture, and he wanted it in Washington, which he called "the crossroads of the world," said Msgr. William Kerr, executive director of the center and former president of La Roche College in McCandless.

It promotes the thought of Pope John Paul, "but it also brings together the wisdom of the faith of the ages as defined by all of the popes and the bishops," he said. "John Paul wanted it not to be a monument to himself, but a center of learning that would speak the message in serious ways."

Although the message may be serious, the presentation is sometimes whimsical. The most popular exhibit is the last pair of skis the pope used before a broken hip ended his days on the slopes. The limited edition 1985 Dynastars stand alongside his pastoral staff.

"We hope to stimulate the imagination at all levels," Msgr. Kerr explained.

The center belongs to the new generation of high-tech museums. Visitors are handed a bar-coded card that allows them to access interactive displays and record their thoughts and experiences for future visitors.

The first stop is a video about Pope John Paul, "Conscience of the World," that allows viewers to skip to the topics which most interest them.

Clara Isama, a Nigerian-born housewife from Silver Spring, Md., likes to stop at the cultural center after Mass at the nearby Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

"It is a unifying spot for all people and it speaks very much to the person and mission of Pope John Paul II," she said. "It is not just a cultural center where you take in what is there, but it helps you to take out the goodness of the Lord to the world."

Exhibits reflect Pope John Paul's interest in building relationships with those of other faiths.

Interactive galleries allow visitors to access information on not only Catholicism but all major traditions. A current display features creation stories from cultures ranging from Iroquois to Norse.

"People can come and ask questions about any religion and get an answer," Msgr. Kerr said. "They can ask questions about the Bible or the lives of the saints, and ways that people express their spirituality in different forms."

Like Pope John Paul, the center displays a special concern for the relationship between Christians and Jews. A Jewish donor gave detailed models of the ancient temples in Jerusalem.

"It was one man's lifelong work to create models of the temples of Solomon and Herod," Msgr. Kerr said. "He wanted to give them to the center because he felt that Pope John Paul had been very much concerned about the Jewish community. He wanted students from the temple schools to come and bring their classes, and they do. Rabbis come and bring their students."

Another temporary exhibit features 98 portraits of popes of the past 500 years, starting with Julius II (1503-1513). Art students have come from as far as Texas to compare the changing styles and techniques used to depict the same subject over five centuries, Msgr. Kerr said.

Although most visitors don't see it, what Msgr. Kerr calls "the heart and soul of the cultural center" is a think tank on the third floor. Currently, The Inter-Cultural Forum on Faith and Culture is working on the thought of Pope Benedict XVI.

Others projects included a forum on bioethics, and a dialogue about Islam and political life with a delegation of high-ranking religious leaders from Iran.

Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh is on the board, and the think tank is his project.

"Even if I weren't on the board, I would still want to stay engaged in that academic part" of the center because it is so crucial to engaging Catholic faith with all streams of modern culture, he said.

Pittsburgh will soon have an even more visible presence.

The chapel will receive a crucifix, 14 stations of the cross and an enamel painting of the Holy Trinity, angels and the Virgin Mary by renowned Pittsburgh artist Virgil Cantini. St. John Vianney parish in Allentown, which was closing three of its four church buildings, donated the works, which were done in 1955.

Donated art has been crucial for the chapel because cash flow for the center is challenging. It cost $75 million to open and has an $8 million annual budget. Its location near the shrine is far from other tourist destinations.

It offers retreats for parishes and confirmation classes.

Students from nearby Catholic University come to do research.

Other attendance is sparse, despite asking only an offering for individual admission and $4 per person for groups.

But halls that are often deserted filled when Pope John Paul died.

"Within half an hour of the announcement of his death, people began coming and they did not stop until more than 20,000 adults had stood in line and signed the condolence book," Msgr. Kerr said.

Msgr. Kerr was in Rome for Pope John Paul's funeral.

"What really touched me were the hundreds of thousands of young people coming and standing in line all night to pay their respects to Pope John Paul. That is what we want to do here at the center, to keep that alive in the hearts of young people," he said.

The Legacy Dinner, held Wednesday for 560 guests, was part of that effort. It benefits the center's Legacy Fund, which promotes interreligious inquiry, intercultural dialogue and education to promote human rights, justice and peace.

At the dinner, Bishop Wuerl presented the center's Pope John Paul II Peace Prize to King Abdallah II of Jordan for his work to unite major Muslim religious leaders in condemning terrorism and promoting tolerance.

Queen Rania of Jordan was to have accepted it for her husband, but after the recent terrorist attacks chose to remain with her people.

She spoke by video of the example Pope John Paul II had set for world leaders. "None of us has to speak the same language to spread the same message of peace," she said.

The center's Leadership Award was given to Marie Fatayi-Williams, a devout Nigerian Catholic, whose 26-year-old son, Anthony, was killed July 7 in the London terrorist bombings.

Even with such international themes, Pittsburgh connections continued. The River City Brass Band played, and an 8-foot mural depicting Pope John Paul's biography in bronze was unveiled. Worth $100,000, it is the first work done with a new process that the Matthews International Corp. of Pittsburgh has devised to create bronze images from photographs.

Dave Hewitt, the president of Matthews, contacted Msgr. Kerr after Pope John Paul's death, offering to create and donate the plaque as a tribute to his life.

"We wanted our very first piece to have great meaning," Mr. Hewitt said.