The 10th Annual Canonical Conference kicked off at the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort, Jordan, on Sunday, July 23, 2023.

This year's conference is titled, "The Conference of the Legal Scholar, Fr. Arroba Conde," who passed away two months ago in his country, Spain, as he was the main lecturer and teacher in all conferences held since 2015, in addition to being the professor of canon law for all judges of the Latin Patriarchate Courts. 

His Beatitude Cardinal-designate Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided at the Holy Mass marking the opening of the conference which was dedicated to the late Fr. Arroba Conde. The Holy Mass was concelebrated by Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Jamal D'aibes, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Jbara, and Deputy Custodian of the Holy Land Fr. Ibrahim Faltas. In attendance were Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Miguel de Lucas, the family of the late Fr. Arroba Conde, a number of priests, in addition to practising and new lawyers of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Courts in Jordan, Palestine, the Galilee, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq as well as legal specialists from the Vatican and Italy.

During the Holy Mass, Patriarch Pizzaballa delivered an address in which he thanked the ecclesiastical courts for their assiduous and continuous activities over the last decade which marked holding this international conference. He noted that this conference falls within the framework of the mission of the Latin Patriarchate and its endeavor to support families, whether legally or pastorally, through the establishment of offices concerned with the patronage of the Sacrament of Holy Marriage and Families in the various regions of the diocese in the Holy Land.

He also thanked the lawyers participant in the conference by saying, "Your work is linked to the work of the Church through accessing the lives of families." He stressed in this context the need to have their advice and pleadings dedicated to the common good of families, by finding the required balance between the values of justice and mercy.

After the Holy Mass, a memorial service was held for the late Fr. Conde. Several addresses were delivered in memory of his humanitarian, academic and intellectual achievements especially in the field of canon law. Fr. Emile Salaita, head of the conference, indicated that the passing away of Professor Conde was a shocking piece of news for all judges and lawyers practising in ecclesiastical courts, and a great loss of a nonpareil  person, that  is why the organizing committee of the conference decided to name this year’s conference after him in appreciation of his great contributions in the field of canon law.

In his address, Fr. Dr. Jihad Shweihat, advisor of the ecclesiastical courts in Amman and Jerusalem, indicated that the late Fr. Conde was an inspiring professor for all judges of the Latin ecclesiastical courts, a judge for more than 30 years, a humble person, and an academic who wrote several books and judicial rulings that are considered a reference for several Catholic courts around the world.

Professor Antonio Laccarino, a lecturer in canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome pointed out in his address that the late Fr. Conde devoted his life for justice through education. He said that he did not monopolize knowledge but sought to establish an intellectual state by instilling information in students in the faculties of law in which he taught. He added that he also participated in several seminars, including conferences on canon law in Jordan, which were characterized as referred to by him, by their continuity, the richness of their propositions, and the quality of the participants’ interventions.

Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso said that Conde's credible role in the Church in Italy and the Diocese of Rome cannot be denied. This is not only attributed to preparing legal practitioners to work in parishes and courts, but also for his work in several Vatican circles. He said that law regulates the work of individuals and societies, but in the Catholic Church, in addition to that, it constitutes a factor of unity.

Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Miguel de Lucas also delivered an address in which he expressed his pleasure to participate in the Canon Law Conference in the first place because he had a legal background before joining the diplomatic corps, and secondly because he devoted his life to the issue of common living among followers of different religions. He praised the efforts exerted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that made harmony, brotherhood, and the culture of encounter among its bases that are lauded by the world as a whole.

A number of lawyers delivered addresses that dealt with their personal experiences with the late Conde during legal conferences he participated in and held in Jordan since 2015. They said that he was distinguished by astuteness in presentation and giving useful information, as well as in his dealings with others. They conveyed condolences to his family and presented a shield on behalf the participants in the conference, and a painting by  lawyer Nada Al-Wirr which reflected the values that the deceased sought in his life, namely justice, truth and mercy.

Later, Patriarch Pizzaballa presented the Latin Patriarchate's Golden Medal to the family of the deceased father in appreciation of his distinguished achievements.