A Catholic University Opens its Doors

INTRODUCTION

It opens its doors right in the middle of the Arab spring. And this is not a mere coincidence. For the past few weeks at Madaba – a Jordanian city 35 kilometers from Amman – registrations are open in a new Catholic University of the Middle East, strongly desired by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem whose jurisdiction includes the Catholics of Jordan. It was Benedict XVI himself, during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May 2009, who laid the cornerstone of this new university. In these two years, it has been called “American University of Madaba,” in the name of a partnership with the University of New Hampshire which has strongly committed itself to supporting the initiative. But it remains a university that is fully recognized by Jordan, whose High Council for Education in 2005 assigned to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem the license to open its own university. This project has now become a reality: this month the courses of the first academic year will begin in the already completed wing of a large campus that, once totally finished, will accommodate up to 8,000 students.

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“Everyone would like to open a university today in Jordan,” observes the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, “and the fact that the Government has given this license to us and not to others is a recognition of the work done by our schools, operating here since 1849. We have more than one hundred schools with 70,000 pupils, and our schools are always open to everyone, Christians and Muslims. Just to round out this educative offering, my predecessor, Michel Sabbah, wanted this university: until now, there was no Catholic university in Jordan.” It will be an institution not only at the service of this Arab country: many students are expected from the Gulf countries. All will be offered training at a high scientific level, with a clear vision of society. “We want to create, through culture, an environment of sincerity, of openness to others,” continues the Patriarch of Jerusalem. “As we all know, in this region, there are extremist schools – on both sides. This is meant to be our response, with an institution that prepares leaders for a society that is calm, serene, open to all. I strongly believe in the role of education in preparing for peace and coexistence.”

It is precisely here that the discourse on the Arab spring is inserted. After the initial enthusiasm, among Christians of the Middle East, fear of the Islamic wave that may result from the collapse of the regimes tends to prevail. “I remain in favor of the Arab spring,” says Archbishop Twal. “I just hope that it’s really a spring and not an autumn, when everything becomes dry. The truth is that we are all taking a leap into the void: we know what we want to change, but we have no certainty about where we will arrive. Who will lead this spring in the end? This is my real concern.

Some of those in Egypt and Tunisia, who initially, did not participate in these movements, are now well placed to take advantage. That is why, against these drives, it has become even more important for us to promote these educational institutions open to all. Realities, such as the University of Madaba, indicate a road, they represent a choice of how we want the future to help calm people and to build together a society that is really new.”

The University of Madaba will offer seven majors: engineering, health sciences, information technology, science, economics and finance, art and design, languages and communications. For the 2011-2012 academic year, it will start with eighteen-degree tracks. In addition to classroom study, once the whole project is completed, students will have a modern campus with labs, sports facilities, meeting places, and free internet access with a wireless network. www.vaticaninsider.lastampa.it / Giorgio Bernardelli

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