The truth is that interreligious contacts, together with ecumenical dialogue, now seem to be obligatory paths, in order to ensure that the many painful wounds inflicted over the course of centuries will not be repeated, and indeed that any such wounds still remaining will soon be healed. I Express my gratitude to you all for your Council's generous sharing in my apostolic service to the Church throughout the world. Your work contributes to the fulfillment of what I have always considered a very important part of my ministry: the fostering of more friendly relations with the followers of other religious traditions.