Dear Friends, Greetings of love and peace.

I am writing this at 37,000 feet as I fly from Rome to London on the first leg of a long journey home to San Francisco. For the past week I have had the privilege to be in Rome representing the URI as part of an interfaith group from San Francisco. Others in the group included Iftekhar Hai, Doug Kahn, Rita Semel, and Bill and Mary Swing. We traveled to Rome at the invitation William Levada, with whom many of us had worked closely during his decade-plus as Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco.

Shortly after Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, he appointed Archbishop Levada to replace him as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the number two position of authority in the Vatican after pope.  Archbishop Levada, the highest ranking American Catholic ever, invited his interfaith colleagues to come to Rome at this time for a Consistory for the Creation of Cardinals, during which he would be elevated from Archbishop to Cardinal, joining the elite College of Cardinals, whose members, in Cardinal Levada's words, are "not only co-workers with [the Pope] in the mission of the unity of the Church, but also witnesses of her catholicity, called as we are from across the globe." The College of Cardinals is also the body responsible for electing a new pope.

During a week of extraordinary religious ceremonies, Pope Benedict created 15 new cardinals from many parts of the world, including Korea, Venezuela, Poland, Spain, Ghana, and the Philippines. Each of these new cardinals was supported by delegations from their home countries. But the delegation from San Francisco was the only interfaith delegation, including  Episcopalians, Greek Orthodox, Jews, Lutherans, Muslims and, of course, Roman Catholics, with a strong URI presence at the core. 

The first evening, we experienced a preparatory service of penitence at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The next day, chilly, cloudy and threatening rain, we gathered outdoors in St. Peter's Square, which can accommodate 170,000 pilgrims at a time, in front of the inspiring façade of St. Peter's Basilica - the heart of the Vatican and the spiritual center of the world for over 1 billion Roman Catholics around the world.

Amidst great pageantry, enhanced by the presence of the entire College of Cardinals in their distinctive red robes and hats, and bishops from all over the world in their purple robes, as well as countless priests and other dignitaries, Pope Benedict presided at a two hour service, mostly in Latin, installing the cardinals, who came forward one by one to kneel before the Pope and receive the distinctive red hat that is a symbol of their new office. The following day, St. Peter's Square now bathed in sunlight, the Pope presided over a mass, again mostly in Latin, during which the new cardinals were given rings, also symbols of their new office.

The next day, we experienced a mass where Cardinal Levada "took possession" of St. Mary in Domnica, the church he will serve as titular head. In his homily before a large congregation of the Roman Catholic faithful, along with many bishops and a few brother cardinals, he particularly acknowledged the presence of the interfaith representatives from San Francisco.

Finally, on our last day in Rome, we had an audience with Pope Benedict. After so many solemn ceremonies in the previous days, this wonderful moment was more like a college graduation. The Pope greeted each of the cardinals and a few selected members of their delegations, to great cheers, chants and singing among the faithful. Along the way, we had the opportunity to deepen community during many celebratory meals, as well as some time to see some of the ancient and modern beauty of Rome.

We, the interfaith members of Cardinal Levada's delegation, have been privileged to experience and be a part of history in the making. Not only were we present to see the highest ranking American Roman Catholic in history - William Levada, former Archbishop of San Francisco and friend - installed in a position of high honor and great responsibility and authority, we were, from all we could learn, the first interfaith delegation to participate in a consistory.

URI's charter tells us we are a bridge building organization. It tells us we are to respect the wisdom of each tradition and differences among traditions. It tells us we are to encourage our members to deepen their roots in their own tradition. It tells us we are to give and receive the gift of hospitality...and more.

We were in Rome in the first place because we have practiced the wisdom of our charter and developed deep and abiding friendships, including with Archbishop Levada. While we were there, we were blessed to live the meaning of our charter for a week in Rome. We were blessed to be living witnesses to the new way of being spiritual neighbors to which our charter leads us. We were changed by our experience. And, in some perhaps indefinable way, the Vatican was changed.

Seeds have been planted. In the spirit of mutual respect, friendship and with a deep commitment to work together for the good of all, we will tend those seeds so they may bear the fruit of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

Love, Charles