Will the Pope's Visit Give a Boost to the Struggling Pope John Paul II Cultural Center?

Greg Trotter with Medill Reports has the story that the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center hopes to redefine itself with the Pope's inter-faith visit.

“We’ve shifted our focus from destination museum to place for interreligious dialogue,” said Hugh Dempsey, deputy director of the John Paul II Cultural Center, “and we look at the Holy Father’s visit as a confirmation of that shift.”

I first visited the Cultural Center about five years ago. The place was virtually empty on the day of my visit. Cast as a museum, it might have done better had it been located near all of Washington, D.C.'s other museums near the Mall. It's placement near Catholic University of America, however, is a bit off the beaten path for many visitors. I recall that the day of my visit, I got off the Metro in the neighborhood of the Center and wondered to myself, where is it?

From the article:
After a period of financial difficulty and layoffs, the center stopped advertising itself as a destination museum in 2006. It has since billed itself as a place for interfaith conferences and meetings.

In a partnership that continues the transition, the Eternal Word Television Network will be broadcasting its news shows from the fourth-floor of the center, starting in early April. The Catholic television network, based in Alabama, will televise its live talk show “The World Over,” every Friday night at the center.

“Rome is increasingly looking to the cultural center as a crossroads of the world, and a place to engage,” Arroyo said.