Beirut
I think that Oasis’ idea of translating Benedict XVI’s catecheses into Arabic and publish them in instalments is an excellent idea. I believe that this Pope’s thought, which is both profoundly spiritual and yet always with an historical (and academic) eye on the texts, is a very useful model for our readers in the East.
Indeed, his comments about sacred facts and texts can be of inspiration not only to the Christians of the East but also to Muslim preachers who might read them.
P. Kamil W. Samaan
Director of the Institute of Relgious Sciences, Cairo
On behalf of my students at the Institut Supérieur de Sciences Religieuses (ISSR) in Cairo, who include 220 men and women religious as well as lay people, I thank you infinitely for the great service that you are providing with the translation into Arabic the Holy Father’s Wednesday audiences. Many of our students do not speak foreign languages and they need to have the Pope’s teachings as well as other Catholic documents at their disposal. Hence, a great thank you, and please do not stop.
H.E. Msgr. J-C. JEANBART
Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo (Syria)
This project will be very useful for all of our countries’ faithful, who will have certain access to theological and ecclesial documents that are especially rich in spiritual nourishment for the men and women of our times.
I believe that this kind of publication in good Arabic will find readers, not only among Catholics but also among our Orthodox brothers. I think they will also end up in the hands of our Muslim compatriots, many of whom want to know Christianity better, especially Catholicism. Some of these catecheses could also start an exchange and perhaps a constructive dialogue among the faithful of different religious denominations present in the country.
