First Farsi Edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church Released

Scholars believe that the first publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the Farsi language will enable scholars in Iran to read and learn about Christianity for the first time from its original text as well as pave the way for an interreligious dialogue in the country.

From the Vatican

On Monday, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue’s Secretary, Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot said only time can tell if the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s translation into Farsi will be able to bolster the culture encounter, one of the wishes of Pope Francis. The probability of this happening relies heavily on the openness of the Christian Churches and the openness and availability of Iran’s religious communities. It depends on them taking the chance to use the Farsi edition of the book and present its contents in a definitive and balanced way to the followers of other religions, particularly those who represent Iran’s Islamic world, which is likewise diverse.

Publication of the translated book

The first Farsi edition was presented in Rome at the Gregorian University last Monday by the Rector of the University of Religions and Denominations, Hojjat ol Eslam va ol Moslemin Sayyed Abolhassan Navvab. Its foreword was written by the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. The publication of the Farsi edition was sponsored by the University of Religions and Denominations of Qom.

Qom is one of Islam’s holy centers and the city’s Fatema Mæ’sume shrine is visited annually by fifteen million pilgrims. There are over 100 study centers in the city and about 60,000 scholars of Islam and Qur’an, of which about 2,000 study various religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity.

The director of the translation project, Professor Ahmad Reza Meftah, clarified that it was based on the English edition and that an Italian Catholic man who was fluent in Farsi refined it. The final translated copy was then compared to the original, which was written in Latin.

The idea for the translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church into Farsi was due to the increase in interreligious dialogues initiated by members of Shi’ite Islam, which comprises about 15% of the Muslims around the world. Islamic studies expert, Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, SJ said that the willingness of religious authorities in Iran and the country itself to translate the book means that they are opening up to Catholic Christianity and the Western World.

Some foreseen difficulties

The director of the Focolari movement’s Interreligious Dialogue Department, Roberto Catalano noted that one of the major difficulties lies in the language. While Farsi is an official language recognized in Iran, it is not used officially in the country’s Catholic Church. The Christians in Iran, as stated in the laws of the country, are permitted to use Italian, English, Latin, Chaldean and Armenian. Farsi is not included in the list to avoid possible conversion (proselytism).

Image copyright – Mosaic inside Vank Cathedral at Isfahan, Iran. Maurizio Bersanelli / 123RF Stock Photo