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• Audio: Cardinal Adam Maida on the lasting impact of Pope Benedict's U.S. visit (.mp3)
• Audio: Cardinal Adam Maida on how Pope Benedict has addressed the role of the Catholic Church and the Vatican in terms of relations between the Western and Islamic worlds (.mp3)
• Audio: Cardinal Adam Maida on his increased role for the laities within the church and how Ave Maria exemplifies that idea (.mp3)
• Audio: Cardinal Adam Maida on the considerations to move Ave Maria here (.mp3)
• Audio: Cardinal Adam Maida on what Tom Monaghan's legacy will be (.mp3)
• Audio: Cardinal Adam Maida on his reaction to a survey that said Catholics were losing more adherents than any other religion (.mp3)

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One of 17 Catholic cardinals from the United States, Cardinal Adam Maida, the Archbishop of Detroit, is the oldest “prince of the church” still active in the country. In addition to his duties in Detroit and membership in the College of Cardinals, which is responsible for selecting the pope, Maida, 78, is the founder of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., an interfaith conference center that was a stop on Pope Benedict XVI’s recent tour of the United States. Maida sat with the Daily News recently before celebrating the Baccalaureate Mass at Ave Maria University. Maida is on the board of governors of the Ave Maria School of Law, which is moving from Michigan to Southwest Florida in 2009, and is the ecclesiastic adviser to the Ave Maria Mutual Funds. Both are entities also founded by Ave Maria University Chancellor Tom Monaghan. Below is the excerpted interview.

Q: What do you think the role of the Catholic Church and the Vatican is in terms of relations between the Western and Islamic worlds and how do you think Pope Benedict has addressed that topic so far?

A: Well, we know that the Holy Father struck a nerve when he spoke at Regensburg a few years ago. (In Sept. 2006, Pope Benedict quoted from an old text that described Muhammad, Islam’s founder, as bringing “things only evil and inhuman.”) Consequently that created, I think, a great opportunity for dialogue. Before that, I think there was an isolation of one community from another. There were questions of mistrust. In these very days there are groups of Muslims from the Middle East meeting at the Vatican in dialogue with the Catholic church and the Holy Father. Isn’t it wonderful that you have people speaking to each other rather than destroying one another in a violent way? I think the Holy Father’s comments to the peoples of the world and especially to the Muslim community is a message of peace and understanding and respect. The Holy Father speaks often of reciprocity, that is, what to do in peace in love and respect to your fellow human being. We would ask that that same kind of greeting and relationship takes place where we are in predominantly Muslim situations, states and governments. The Holy Father has created these channels for dialogue and understanding, which I think is going to be extremely historic as we look to the future. It certainly beats terrorism.

Q: In the past you’ve advocated for an increased role for the laity within the church. I was wondering if you could speak to how the Ave Maria project exemplifies that idea.

A: I’ve known Mr. Monaghan for the past 18 years. As the Archbishop of Detroit and with (Ave Maria College in Michigan), I witnessed the great good that he accomplished in our community, in our church up in Detroit. When he came to me with this idea of Ave Maria in South Florida, I know a few things about South Florida, and I know the great opportunities that are here, but also the great challenges and the great needs. We do need a Catholic university in this area and I believe he saw that and being the visionary that he is and the risk-taker that he is and a man who was very successful selling pizzas, he thought he might just be able to do something with Ave Maria, too.

From the very beginning, it sounded like a grandiose idea, but now that we’re here for this graduation and I guess this is the fifth year and we see its development and growth, it’s just fantastic. I think the hope that he will create a whole new town and create a university which will have a very, very serious impact, for the people not only here but the people throughout the country. It will be a place people will tune into from time to time to hear its message. His message will be one which will be consistent with what is the church’s message. I think he will take his plans at the direction of our Holy Father, who leads us, and the leadership given by the local church authorities, working in harmony with them. One thing I know of Mr. Monaghan is he’s always worked in sync with legitimate church authorities. The laity working together with the clergy I think is the greatest opportunity to create a civilization of love as our late Holy Father, John Paul II indicated. I commend Mr. Monaghan for everything he’s done. I know that the world should be better because of what he accomplishes here.

Q: I know that you’re on the board of the law school. Can you speak to some of the considerations that went into the decision to move down here?

A: Some of the situations occurred because of some difficulties there were with zoning and things and expanding Ave Maria at Ann Arbor. So I think Mr. Monaghan saw this as even a greater opportunity, a better opportunity, long term. Naturally it was difficult to come here, to an area which is undeveloped and start new. Nobody knows what it was going to yet be, but we have great hopes and dreams to develop it and it’s evolving beautifully. But we don’t know ultimately what it’s going to be. Maybe it will be some day greater than Ann Arbor.

Q: Do you wish the law school could have stayed in Michigan?

A: I really have nothing to say about that. You know some of this is in litigation and I can’t speak to the issues. All I got to say is that we got to keep dialoguing with the people and see where the processes take us.

Q: What was your reaction to the recent national survey that discussed the fact that Catholics were losing more adherents than any other religion but that numbers were about the same because of increased immigration to the country? What does that say about the future of Catholicism in this country?

A: I think we’re driven by our culture and especially with our young people we know that culture is formed by many, many factors. I think there is this great mobility in our society. I think there is a great freedom and people have many choices. Maybe those choices and freedom wasn’t as available in years past as they are now. For us it becomes a challenge to put forward the word of God and the kingdom of God as the ultimate destiny for humanity and for every human being. Can you imagine Jesus saying to 11 men go out and preach the news to the whole world? Can you imagine going into the Grecian and Roman Empires, which were absolutely without values and very, very pragmatic in their civilization at the time 2,000 years ago, and going into that lion’s den literally and figuratively and say go preach the gospel? Now you have one-third of the people on the planet who have heard the word of Christ and we still have a lot of work to do. When I think of that challenge and numbers they come and go, but I look at the quality of the people. The way the Lord started with four very humble men unschooled, without Ph.D.s or MBAs, doing his work. It’s God’s work. Don’t ever bet against the Lord or the Holy Spirit. You’ll lose. No question.