BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: This week's Catholic meetings with other faiths revive questions about the Churches' relations with non-Catholics. John Allen, of the independent U.S. journal, the NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER, covered the Assisi meeting, and joins us now from Rome. John, welcome. What is the Church's position on other faiths?

JOHN L. ALLEN, (NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER): Well, I think what Assisi means first of all, is the Church wants to project great respect for other religions and wants to act as a partner with them in building a world marked by greater peace and justice. I think the deeper question is what theological sense does the Church make of that? The old position used to be outside the Church, no salvation. Later, the Church came to accept that non-Christians, non-Catholics could be saved. But there remains the question of whether they are saved in and through, their non-Christian religions or despite them and that is very much an open point of debate in the life of the Church.

ABERNETHY: And what about praying with non-Catholics?

Mr. ALLEN: Well, I think you have to think this in terms of concentric circles. Catholic prayer with other Christians is no problem. The Pope did it yesterday at Assisi. He prayed with other Christian participants. Prayer with the other monotheistic religions, like Judaism and Islam is a little bit more complicated. But generally speaking, the Vatican doesn't have a problem with it. When it comes to Catholic- with other non-Christian religions, for example, Hinduism or Buddhism, things become a lot more complex, and the Vatican has generally speaking, discouraged it. On the other hand in various parts of the world, that's very much a part of the practice. In India, for example, the Catholic bishops put out a document, calling interfaith prayer not just possible, but a duty. So I think this too is still being worked out at the grassroots.

ABERNETHY: Does the Vatican recognize truth in other faiths?

Mr. ALLEN: Absolutely. The document of the Second Vatican Council, "Ad Gentes," said that it recognizes the elements of truth and grace in other religions. The question, of course, is how those elements of truth and grace get there? Are they simply sort of man's natural achievement reaching toward God, or is God reaching out towards human beings revealing himself in these other religions, and as I say, that is an open theological question.