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• Oasis - al-Waha - Nakhlistan
• Papal Reflections on Marriage and the Family



Printer-friendly versionOasis - al-Waha - Nakhlistan

The review, Oasis/al-Waha/Nakhlistan, was launched on 7 March 2005 to promote an open and respectful dialogue with Islam, and to support Christian minorities in predominantly Muslim countries. Initially, Oasis will be published twice a year. Edited by a committee of experts from around the world, it is published in four editions: English-Arabic, English-Urdu, French-Arabic and Italian-Arabic. Most of its readers will be in Europe, Africa and Asia.

In addition to scientific articles, Oasis will publish documents, interviews and reports as well as film and book reviews. It will include a photographic service, which, in the inaugural edition is dedicated to life in a Coptic Christian community in Cairo. The cover of the first issue of Oasis, published at the end of February, focused on "Majorities and Minorities."

The review, an initiative of Cardinal Angelo Scola, patriarch of Venice, is published by the Oasis International Studies and Research Centre, which forms part of the Studium Generale Marcianum, the academic and cultural centre recently set up by the Patriarchate of Venice.

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Posted: June 30, 2005 Transmis : 30 juin 2005



Printer-friendly versionPapal Reflections on Marriage and the Family
by par Nicholas Jesson

Signed articles do not necessarily represent the opinions of "Ecumenism in Canada" or the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism.

Les articles signés ne représentent pas nécessairement les avis de "Oecuménisme au Canada" ou le Prairie Centre for Ecumenism.

I found this article on the Vatican Information Service about Pope Benedict's comments at a Rome congress on "The Family and the Christian Community." I think that he has some positive affirmations to make about families, but I find it interesting that as I was trying to attend to the positives, he kept turning to the negatives. So, for example, he speaks about marriage but ends the section by cautioning about "pseudo-marriage" and divorce.

I wonder whether this gives us some insight into Benedict's character, or at least some insight into his attitude towards married life. He ends his comments by calling for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life. That's not exactly a rousing endorsement of marriage.

We should remember that Benedict's favourite theologian is Augustine of Hippo, who had very similar fears about marriage. It is good and natural in theory, but a risky venture that might imperil your salvation. One is better off avoiding it altogether.

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Posted: June 8, 2005 Transmis : 8 juin 2005
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