People of every walk of life keep talking about the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) websites with avid desire to check both English and Arabic websites, respectively en.abouna.org and abouna.org, to keep abreast of the latest global developments with news items posted on daily bases having a religious tinge and political connotations relevant to the latest development in the world of Christianity.
The news items posted on the CCSM websites have repeatedly grabbed the headlines in various sites and were referred to as “an authentic and reliable source of information”.
The CCSM–which was inaugurated under the patronage of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal on April 25, 2012 while enjoying the highly-valued support of the Latin Patriarchate–made a marked turning point in the field of Christian media as numerous Christian churches and associations in Jordan and abroad make regular contacts to have news relevant to their activities posted on the CCSM websites, thus making nonpareil achievements which several sites worldwide strive to emulate.
Since its establishment, the CCSM has been designed to develop religious and Christian media in general and Catholic media in particular in Jordan with a mission to contribute to giving a positive image of religion, namely a religion that supports human dignity, equality, and common living.
Its strategic goals include spiritual and church services, promoting interfaith dialogue, supporting religious tourism, in addition to entrenching justice, peace and human rights. With the CCSM serving as a main reference for Christians in the Middle East while bridging the gap between Christians in the West and the East, it covers Church news, including the news relevant to the Latin Patriarchate, other churches in the Holy Land, in the Middle East and the world with a high spirit of ecumenicalism. At a time when the CCSM encourages priests and laypeople to express their views in articles and homilies, it highlights the activities of the Christian institutions in the Holy Land through helping them attain good media coverage.
The CCSM deserves to acquire utmost support so as to remain a beacon of inspiration and a vociferous site that disseminates views expressing goodness, common living, and peace. Its mission has all the times been a humanitarian and spiritual one that aims to make people share brotherhood rather than enmity. Furthermore, the CCSM enlightens public opinion with human morality through the media, promotes good citizenship based on equality, disseminates the culture of religion at the service of peace, justice and human rights, promotes care for the environment which is the “common home of humanity” as well as supports religious tourism and pilgrimage to the Holy Land, including Jordan, the country of Lord Jesus Christ’s baptism.
Among CCSM’s recent major activities in 2023 is that on February 4 it held a seminar–in cooperation with Caritas Jordan at Karam Imseeh Hall, located near the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church of Tla’ Al-Ali, western Amman, titled, “The Media in the Service of Human Fraternity” marking the International Day of Human Fraternity, which is observed on February 4, and coinciding with the Week of Interfaith Harmony which is observed on the first week of February. The CCSM also held a celebration on Monday, March 6 marking the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media. Another major event includes holding a conference in cooperation with Konard Adenauer Stiftung (KAT) titled, “Political Participation in Jordan from a Religious Perspective” on Saturday, June 24.
The CCSM pays tribute to the Latin Patriarchate for its continued and highly appreciated support for the CCSM, which enables it to continue its message and to serve as the mouthpiece of Christians in the Middle East. The CCSM has always expressed permanent readiness to focus on issues of concern to humanity, commensurate with its slogan, “Media for Humanity through the Culture of Encounter”.
