There appears to be momentum towards more and more misunderstandings between religions, a degradation of relations.

Canada has for many years been a beacon to the rest of the world for its commitment to pluralism and for its support for the multicultural richness and diversity of its peoples.

The right to hope is the most powerful human motivation I know.

Islam is probably the one that places the greatest emphasis on knowledge. The purpose is to understand God's creation.

The Pope is only concerned with the spiritual welfare of his flock.

If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is born out of hope. One of the central lessons I have learned after a half century of working in the developing world is that the replacement of fear by hope is probably the single most powerful trampoline of progress.

None of these situations are identical. You cannot take one set of issues from one country and apply it to another. They are all different, in terms of history, and the religious compositions of the populations involved.