71-year-old President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue takes over from Cardinal Bertone.
Lawyer for Shahzad and Shama Masih says young couple were beaten by an angry Muslim mob on Tuesday and then burned alive.
Religious leaders must be at the forefront of efforts to promote peace in their societies.
Workshop talks aimed at enabling "the people of Syria, the region and the world to conceive of a new beginning."
