I am delighted to convey my best wishes to the editors of the washingtonpost.com - Newsweek “On Faith” feature.

Your undertaking comes at a time of sharply increasing intolerance, extremism and violence in many parts of the world. The terror attacks of 9/11, war and turmoil in the Middle East, ill-considered words and drawings -- all have helped reinforce this trend, and have inflamed tensions between different peoples and cultures. They have notably strained relations between followers of the three great monotheistic faiths.

That is why initiatives like “On Faith” are so important. They can help reaffirm that the problem is not the Koran, nor the Torah, nor yet the Gospel. Indeed, I have often said the problem is never the faith – it is the faithful, and how they behave towards each other. Your work can help spread this vital message, and engage the faithful in a discourse stressing the basic values common to all religions: compassion; solidarity; respect for the human person; the Golden Rule of “do as you would be done by”.

It is in that spirit that I wish you great success, and look forward to following your discussions online.