Saturday 9 May 2009

Pope Benedict XVI in Jordan: blessing the foundation stone of Madaba University

One of the interesting aspects of Pope Benedict's visit to Jordan - and one which I suspect may be missed by much of the media coverage - is the ceremony of blessing of the foundation stone of Madaba University. Vatican Radio's website are carrying the text of the Pope's address at this ceremony, which does, I think, refer to the background of this event and give some insight into that background. The speech of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalam, Fouad Twal, at the same ceremony refers to the provision of schools in Palestine and Jordan by the Catholic Church. It is worth appreciating that another university sponsored by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is ... Bethlehem University. Madaba has been for many years, I think, home to a refugee population from the Palestinian Territories, and it is the work of Catholic agencies in school level education against that background to which Pope Benedict refers in his address.

Both of these universities (I cannot work out whether or not they are recognised as pontifical universities, though I suspect not, despite their ecclesial affiliation) represent a contribution by the Catholic Church to what one might call a "wider field" of education. The articulation of this is very well expressed in Pope Benedict's address, which is, I think, worthy of wider attention for its reference to the role of truth and of moral formation in education.

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