The Pope and Henry Kissinger, today.

Benedict also met with the new German ambassador to the Vatican today:

Believing that each person is created in the image of God, the Catholic Church hopes all people will come to know the Gospel, but its primary approach to other religions and cultures must be one of tolerance and openness, Pope Benedict XVI said.

During a Sept. 28 meeting at his summer villa in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, Pope Benedict welcomed Hans-Henning Horstmann as Germany’s new ambassador to the Vatican.

Faith, the pope told him, increases people’s commitment to the common good, which is marked by defending the life and dignity of all people, including those of other faiths and cultures.

"The church does not impose itself," the pope said. "It does not force anyone to accept the Gospel message because faith in Jesus Christ, whom the church proclaims, can only happen in freedom. For this reason, encounters with others must be marked by tolerance and cultural openness."

However, Pope Benedict said, tolerance, respect and openness "must never be confused with indifference, which is the opposite of the deep Christian interest in human beings and their good."

"True tolerance presupposes respect for the other, for the human being, who was created by God and whose existence was willed by God," the pope said.

The Christian faith motivates Catholics to defend the "dignity, integrity and freedom" of each person, Pope Benedict said, and to work with all people of good will in defending others.

The good of humanity is what leads the church to defend traditional marriage and family life, he said, and to oppose abortion, including cases in which a baby may be severely handicapped, because every human life "has value for God."