The Cardinal Paul Poupard Foundation Chair of Inter Religious and Inter Cultural Dialogue was established on the 30th of January, 2009 due to the relentless encouragement and efforts of Archbishop Felix Machado and Cardinal Oswald Gracias. It was a day signifying World Peace Day and Martyr’s Day in India. The inaugural function commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries Archbishop Machado, Fr. Gilbert de Lima, the Managing Trustee Msgr. Nereus, Principal Dr. Marie Fernandes and the members of the college executive committee. Msgr. Nereus gave the welcome speech where he remarked, “We turn to religion to seek God, to seek peace, to praise and worship God and to shower him with thanks, and yet religion is blamed for violence and war. We have succeeded in demolishing the berlin wall, we can even peep through the Chinese bamboo curtain but we have yet to develop an appreciation of religion as varied expressions of the human response to the ultimate.”