Photo ~ He may be an ex-communist and avowed atheist but Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano says becoming friends with Pope Benedict XVI has been a highlight of his six years as the Italian head of state.

Pope, Italy's President Napolitano, see music as a path to peace

Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano visited with Pope Benedict XVI on July 11, at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. After an informal conversation, the Italian leader joined the Pontiff at a concert, featuring the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Barenboim.

At the conclusion of the concert, Pope Benedict praised the initiative, saying that the orchestra was “born of the conviction--or better yet, of the experience--that music unites persons, over and above any division.”

"Music is the harmony of differences,” the Pope said, adding that the desired effect requires “a patient and laborious commitment, which requires time and sacrifices in the effort to listen to one another, avoiding excessive egoism and privileging the best success of the whole.”

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