www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Original Text of 1997 Zoghby Letter & New Translation

Recently, I came across the copy I had of the original French text of the 1997 Letter from Rome (written by Cardinals Silvestrini, Ratzinger and Cassidy) to Melkite Patriarch Maximus V Hakim discussing the "Zoghby Initiative." I had obtained this text directly from the Melkite Eparchy back in late 1997 after reading an initial report about it in the Catholic press. With the help of a friend, I posted a translation into English on the old CINEAST discussion list back in early 1998. This 1998 translation can also be found here at byzcath.org.

I thought it would be good to make the original French text available for those who might be interested. After taking a look at it, one friend spoke highly of the nuances behind the French text:



As far as I know there is no official translation of this letter. I don't believe any of the published translations into English claim to convey fully the nuances of the sophisticated French. The 1998 translation mentioned above strived to be a literal rendering of the document.

Along with this file of the original French text I am also making available a new English translation made with the help of a couple of friends. This translation does not claim any special merit but serves simply as a reference point for those researching this document. This newer translation is less literal and tries to render the French into more idiomatic English. Perhaps someday an official translation into English can be provided or someone might attempt a polished professional translation.

Further, this file also contains a 1997 article on this letter from Eastern Catholic Life, which contains a partial translation and summary of the letter by Bishop Nicholas Samra. Finally, some historical background is also appended to the file.

This new file (original French text, new English translation, 1997 news article and background information) is in PDF format and can be downloaded here [orthocath.files.wordpress.com]. The file is about 3.5 MB. Depending on your connection speed, it may take a bit to download. It might be best to right click on the link to download it directly to your computer instead of trying to read it online.

Thank you!

Update:

A new English translation of the French text was given to me yesterday for publication. I put it up at my blog [orthocath.wordpress.com] along with scans of the original French text. I also updated the PDF [orthocath.files.wordpress.com] to include this newer English translation.

dear Mr Brown:

Thank you re Vatican Rx to the Zoghby initiative. Very interesting indeed. I take it to be a good opening of the "inter-mural" or "intra-mural" (depending on one's ecclesiology) dialogue between the Latin Patriarchate and the Melkite Patriarchate.

And my I compliment you on your excellent Blog.

Herbigny,

Thank you for the compliment. The blog has suffered from some neglect due to attention given to personal goals but I hope to do a little more than usual during the summer.

BTW, any Ukrainian Catholics in your neck of the woods with a copy of the Ukrainian Catechism yet?