Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. Christianity has profoundly marked not only humanity's spiritual life but also the culture of peoples. My journey next Friday and Saturday to Hungary to commemorate the 1,000 years of the famous Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma, will also highlight the great union of faith and culture which emerges from this prestigious centre of Western monasticism on the confines of Eastern Christianity.
Humanity is indebted to the Christian East for immense treasures.
Here I would like to acknowledge the rich and varied cultural forms resplendent in the monumental architecture of Constantinople, Moscow, St Petersburg and of so many other cities. This culture is also reflected in the gleaming mosaics, the golden cupolas, in the icons rich in mystery, in the very movements of the liturgy, so solemn and majestic. Eastern religious art witnesses to the splendour of Christ, whether it presents him in the imposing figure of the Pantokrator, or points to him in the silent communion of divine intimacy, according to what appears, for example, from the delicate icon of the Trinity by Andrej Rublev. 2. The culture of the Christian East has also produced vigorous literary expressions, contributing notably to elevating the conscience of humanity even in our contemporary age. Desiring to give an example very dear to me, I am thinking of Vladimir Solov'ev.