«Jesus Christ is the center of our faith, which by its nature is an encounter with Him and then with the living God. The fact that in our time, his figure is increasingly rejected and becoming inaccessible due to multiple discussions and opinions, is a concern that doesn’t give the Church peace. Driven by this concern, I have written my books in an attempt to make his figure visible again.»
So writes Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in a written greeting to the participants of a conference in English entitled: «Where are you from? (Jn 19:9). The figure and the message of Jesus in the trilogy Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI”, which takes place March 10 to 12 at the Jordan University College in Morogoro, Tanzania.
It is the second such event in Africa following a symposium in French on Jesus of Nazareth that took place in Benin in September.
The objective of the days of the study is to raise awareness of the theology of Joseph Ratzinger and make it fruitful for the Church in Africa. Precisely for this reason the seminar is open to theologians, bishops, priests, religious , seminarians, catechists and students of theology in East Africa.
It aims to overcome the obstacles to thought that have developed in a different cultural context, that of the West and its history, and the economic difficulties of funding study or the purchase of the books. «Our study days,” said Prof. Achim Buckenmaier, the symposium’s organizer, “want to remove these barriers and help you find a way of accessing the rich theological treasure of Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI.»
The full text sent by Benedict XVI can be read here www.fondazioneratzinger.va (German). The Joseph Ratzinger Foundation is supporting the conference.
