| المستخلص: |
A seminar was held at the Middle East Studies Center in Amman, Jordan, entitled "The Arabs and the Vatican: Challenges and Horizons for the Pope's Visit to the Region". It was attended by a number of prominent political, intellectual and expert figures and chaired by Mr Jawad Al-Hamad, the MESC director. At the opening of the seminar, it was stressed that relations between the Vatican and the Arabs have been controlled by political and diplomatic, but not religious, factors, bearing in mind the focus of the historical relation on the stance against the Arab-Israeli conflict. The only areas of interaction were the statements supporting or not supporting Israel. Four topics were discussed in the seminar. The first was "The History, Challenges and Levels of the Relationship: A Critical Reading". The second was "The Dimensions of the Pope's Visit to the Region: Political, Local and Regional Complexities". The third investigated "How the Visit Was Utilised by the Arabs and the Israelis: Gains and Losses". The fourth was "How Jordan Can Map out the Future Relationship between Arabs and the Vatican in Order to Change Its Attitude towards Their Causes". The seminar was concluded by iterating the significance of Muslim-Christian relations in Jordan and the entire Middle East region. Such a relation has been distinguished for centuries, but without the Vatican having a positive role in enhancing it. Therefore, it is our duty as Arabs to maintain this relationship, since we are responsible for standing up for our causes as well as persuading others to support them.
|
