EUROPE/ITALY - Prestigious UNESCO award to Catholic priest at the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in Rome

Friday, 23 September 2005

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Rome (Fides Service) - A Catholic priest Fr. Michel Lagarde, professor of Arab language and culture, is to receive the Sharjah Award for Arab Culture 2005 assigned by UNESCO and funded by the United Arab Emirates. This is the first time the prestigious award assigned to persons who distinguish themselves in the field of Arab culture is awarded to a Catholic priest. Fr Lagarde is a member of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) and he teaches Arab language and culture at the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in Rome
The award ceremony in Paris on 29 September at UNESCO building will be chaired by Mr Hussein Ghubash permanent Arab Emirate delegate to UNESCO and Mr Koichiro Matsuura UNESCO director general. The award is assigned to Fr Lagarde because according to the act of motivation “he dedicated his life and his teaching and an important work to the study of the Islamic religion. His works on relations between Christianity and Islam have promoted mutual respect and helped bring the two cultures closer”. Fr . Lagarde is known for translating from Arab into French a major work of famous Muslim intellectual and mystic Abdel Qader entitled “The Book of Pauses””, three volumes of Muslim mystics important for its literary beauty and condense of Islamic thought. The prize was awarded jointly to Algerian writer Tahar Ouettar for his contribution towards promoting Arab literature and language in non Arab countries .
The ceremony comes on the eve of the 33rd UNESCO general conference as part of celebrations for its 60th anniversary in October in Paris. The general conference will reflect on inter- cultural and inter-religious dialogue, bio-ethics, relations between freedom, justice and truth, educational values, human dignity. For the occasion Pope Benedict XVI will send a special message to the conference.
The Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies in Rome, has promoted inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue with the Arab world for the past 50 years. The Institute offers a course of Introduction to Islamic Studies and a three year degree course in Arab-Islamic Studies. The Rector is Fr. Justo Lacunza Balda.
(Agenzia Fides 23/09/2005 Righe: 24 Parole: 281)