Opening of the Faculty of Theology in Damascus

 On November 20th, a private college of theology,  the first of its kind in Syria for the study of Christian theology, was inaugurated in Damascus.

The inauguration was attended by Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam,Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Bassam Ibrahim, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Patriarch Youssef al-Absi, and a number of Christian clergy and cultural figures.

In a speech during the inauguration, Patriarch al-Absi explained that the college was established by Legislative Decree No. 6 of 2019 issued by President Bashar Al-Assad and with the interest of First Lady Asma Al-Assad.

Patriarch Al-Absi said that the message that we carry is virtue and science as its slogan, which is manifested by openness to all religions, books and sacred religious teachings.

He pointed to the presence of patriarchal educational institutions in Beirut and Cairo and today in Damascus, which has been characterized through the ages by intellectual, cultural and religious pluralism that believes in God.

Patriarch Al-Absi said: “We yearn for this college to be a factory of distinguished, contemporary oriental theological thought that interacts with its environment.”

 In turn, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research pointed out that this college is the first of its kind academically at the level of Syria in terms of teaching theology and qualifying specialized and distinguished staff.

Minister Ibrahim pointed out that Syria, which rejected all forms of subservience, proves today that it is a country of tolerance, the cradle of Christianity and the incubator of Islam.

According to Legislative Decree No. 6 of 2019, the Faculty of Theology, which is owned by the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for Melkite Greek Catholics, grants a university degree in theology only.

O. al-Mohammad