Dear Buddhist Friends,
1. On the occasion of the festival of Vesakh, I am writing to you and your communities worldwide to convey my own warm greetings, as well as those of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

2. It gives me much joy to recall the positive relationships that Catholics and Buddhists have enjoyed for many years.  I am confident that this foundation will serve to strengthen and deepen our understanding of each other as we continue to work together to build a better world not only for ourselves but also for the entire human family.  Experience teaches us that dialogue fosters the desire within the person and the community to share the goodwill and harmony that already exists, and indeed to reach out ever more courageously to others, ready to embrace the challenges and difficulties that may arise.

Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, (One Heart) speaks to the Church in England

Its mission is to express "the care of the Catholic Church for the needy, thereby encouraging human fellowship and making manifest the charity of Christ"  "Anyone looking at society today can only be filled with joy that Christ's commandment to love one's neighbour finds concrete expression in extensive charitable outreach.  He goes to say that on the other hand, the global popularisation of an idea also unfortunately often leads to its weakening.  Small groups begin to believe that they can do nothing to improve the lot of others.  Inflation also goes hand-in-hand with a decrease of what we have to offer others.  Neither the feeling of being small in a big world nor seeing what we have to offer getting of less of value each day should stop us loving our neighbour in practical ways.

Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was a famous catholic Nun, who was born on August 27^th 1910.

She was the youngest of the three children, and her family were Albanian.  From about 12 years old, she knew she had a vocation, to help the poor.  She began her religious training in 1931 as a novice Sister in Dublin and made her first vows there.  In 1947, she took her final vows and took the religious title Mother Teresa.

She taught geography and religion and in September 1948, she received a calling from God to serve him by helping people, especially the poor.  She received permission from the Pope to go to Calcutta in India.
She started her own school for the homeless children.  Two years later, she opened a home for the lepers and got an orphanage.  Mother Teresa and her order, opened many similar homes, all over the world.  In 1983, she had a heart attack, and her health never recovered.  She died in 1997, aged 87
Lewis Garner