The visual Gospel : the role of sacred art in re-evangelization

I have already had the privilege and honour of delivering the welcome address of this prestigious European conference on sacred art conservation as a vehicle for evangelization. It is now my task to return to this podium and offer some concluding reflections on the breadth of scholarly presentations which we have followed - presentations that have explored not only the authentic purpose of sacred art but also the true identity of cathedrals. I must confess that my delivering yesterday's opening remarks was for me a far easier task. I had the benefit of a carefully prepared script, the product of several days of thoughtful reflection on the theme of this gathering. Today, however, I find the responsibility of concluding this conference more daunting. It is no small task to coherently weave together and distill the richness and creativity of ideas, the diversity of outstanding case studies, and the multitude of ethical frameworks and holistic conservation practices that have been presented and discussed over the past days at this high-level European forum. [excerpt]