The
Pope told the gathering of hundreds of painters, sculptors, architects,
poets and directors, held beneath the vaulted ceiling of the chapel
painted by Michelangelo, that he wanted to “renew the Church’s
friendship with the world of art.”

“Beauty … can become a path toward the transcendent, toward the ultimate Mystery, toward God,” Benedict said.

The Vatican said it invited some 500 artists to the event, regardless of religious, political or stylistic allegiances.

“Too
often … the beauty thrust upon us is illusory and deceitful … it
imprisons man within himself and further enslaves him, depriving him of
hope and joy,” he said.

“Faith takes nothing away from your genius or art,” he said. “On the contrary, it exalts them and nourishes them.”