Continuing a pathway begun in Cairo (Oasis n. 5), when the subject of rights and democracies, and thus also the concept of citizenship, were addressed, the annual meeting promoted by our review held in Venice focused in on one of the most controversial and debated questions, at a solely linguistic level as well, that now exists hybridisation. Can what is taking place in our world, following the wave of the migrations of peoples and techno-economic globalisation, be defined as a gigantic, chaotic and dramatic crossing of civilisations and cultures? Is this category of use in understanding the processes of change? As can be seen, the subject of hybridisation, opened by the leading article written by the Patriarch of Venice, returns in many sections of this issue, which certainly wants to open, and not to close, reflection on the question.

Universality and singularity, identity and difference, unity and plurality, This is expressed admirably by a passage from St. Pier Damiani: the experience of the Church (which in a certain sense we can define as being that of a 'hybridised people') not only contains but underpins these terms which are apparently irreconcilable and incompatible. From this arises something that is totally new: 'confusion is transformed into communion', emphasises Benedict XVI: from Babel to Pentecost. This is the mystery of the love of the 'communion of saints' described by the great theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.

The many challenges that the small Catholic community of Morocco has to meet: a country that is changing, the worries of the Islamic world, the never simple inter-religious dialogue, and above all else the meaning of presence and membership: 'communion must be achieved around Jesus and not around a culture or a nationality', the Archbishop of Rabat, Vincent Landel, declares in this interview. 

It is not only religious fundamentalism that makes the life of the Christian communities harsh, but also nationalist, and often ultra-secular, fundamentalism. A journey in the Turkey of minorities: the feelings and the hopes of those who feel besieged. 

Articles, analyses and testimonies from various countries and on various subjects. In this issue: a pilgrimage to Tibhirine; the tragedy of Iraqi Christians; the faces of Islam in Ghana; a look at Kazakhstan;... 

The Pope and the historical Jesus; the real nature of law; an excess of emphasis on identity; hybridisation and connections; travelling in human diversity; the Arab world explained to America: mixed marriages; the tragedy of Iraqi Christians; the crisis of French secularity; Islam and globalisation. To end this section a look at this season's cinema.