The Latin Patriarchate schools in Jordan marked the Italian Language Day on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 during a celebration held at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church hall in Tla’ Al-Ali, northwestern Amman, with the participation of children of Latin Patriarchate schools in Tla’ Al-‘Ali and Na’our.

 The celebration was patronized by Mr. Luciano Pezzotti, who deputized for the Italian ambassador, and Dr. Emilio Fraleone, the cultural attaché at the Italian embassy in Amman. In  attendance were parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla’ Al-Ali Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Naour Fr. Bashir Bader, Executive Director of the Latin Patriarchate Schools in Jordan Ms. Samar Smeirat, Director of the Latin School in Tla’ Al-‘Ali Marina Hinhin, and Director of the Latin School in Naour Ms. Arwa Makhamreh.

After playing the national anthems of Jordan and Italy, Fr. Dr. Bader gave a welcoming speech in which he expressed his happiness that a number of Latin Patriarchate schools began teaching the Italian language to its students five years ago. Describing  this as the “important step” that  enjoys the support of the Italian embassy,he pointed out that this step “demonstrates the good political, economic, and cultural relations between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Republic.”

On behalf of Dr. Firas Nasrawin, Ms. Smeirat expressed pride in the project of teaching the Italian language in the Latin Patriarchate schools in partnership with the Italian embassy in Jordan, stating that through this step “our students can learn about the civilization, heritage, and culture of the Italian state which reflects on the development of their educational aspects and increases their abilities to communicate with the outside world.” She added, “We aspire to have this distinctive educational experience applied in all schools extending from the farthest north to the farthest south of the country, by which we will have achieved some of our goals in bringing about the best achievements and building bridges through twinning between the Italian state and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan inits capacity as part of the views expressed by His Majesty King Abdullah II that the educational process is not confined to books and curriculums, but rather to  the development and investment in students in various fields.”

For his part, Dr. Fraleone, expressed admiration for the students’ performance and said that the embassy is in the process of establishing an integrated cultural center in Jordan, which will open next spring, whose focus will not only be dedicated to the Italian language, but also to deepening cultural cooperation between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Republic.

The celebration included speeches, poems and artistic performances by the students of the two schools in Italian. The principals of the two schools presented Mr. Luciano Pezzotti with a model of the city of Petra.

By Munir Bayouk/ en.abouna.org