A student delegation from Columbia University in New York, supervised by Chaplain Jewenel Davis, visited the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. The visiting delegation was received  by CCSM Director Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader and members of staff.

At the outset of the meeting, Fr. Bader welcomed the student delegation, the guests of dear Jordan, the country of holiness, history and heritage.

During the meeting, Fr. Bader reviewed the distinguished role played by Jordan under its wise Hashemite leadership, in its capacity as an oasis of stability in a region abounding with conflicts. He added that the Catholic Church plays a long-term  distinguished role in the service of  Jordan and the region, referring to  the constructive role it  has always been playing in the field of education and the formation of an educated society that functions in building the human personality, and noting that the first Catholic schools were established in Jordan before the  establishment  of the Jordanian state.

He also referred to the pioneering role played by the Catholic Church in providing the necessary services to Iraqi and Syrian refugees who sought refuge in Jordan due to the difficult conditions prevailing in their respectiv countries. He added that the Catholic Church provides assiduous and distinguished social services through its charity institutions represented by Caritas which supports the needy and the homeless of various nationalities regardless of their religious and ethnic affiliations.

He also  shed light on the importance of the holy places in Jordan being visited by  Christian pilgrims, such as the Baptism Site, pointing out that Jordan is distinguished by its important religious and tourist sites that attract visiting pilgrims and tourists from different parts of the world.

At the end of the meeting, a dialogue took place with the students who presented questions about the important role played by the Catholic Church in Jordan in terms of religious and tourism aspects.