Since its foundation in 1964 by the late Cardinal Franz König, PRO ORIENTE (Austria) has focused on the relationships between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Christian Churches. In order to help the various churches of the Syriac tradition and to preserve their unique heritage which is of importance for the whole of Christianity, the Foundation edits the “PRO ORIENTE Studies in the Syriac Tradition”. A team of expert scholars from the various Syriac Churches – the “PRO ORIENTE Forum Syriacum” – advises and consults the Foundation to develop appropriate studies and helps to coordinate the research projects.

The present volume acknowledges the contributions of Syriac Christians in the fields of culture, education and civil society throughout the history in the Middle East and India, and examines the challenges of living and professing the Christian faith as a minority in a multi-religious and pluralistic society, giving special attention to religious freedom and personal status. It deals with the experience of Christian-Muslim co-existence in the context of the present states of the Middle East, and with the experience of Christian-Hindu co-existence in India. The book also elaborates the vital problem of continuous emigration of Christians from India and the Middle East, which is particularly for the latter a serious problem and challenge. To support Christianity in the Middle East and the dialogue of the Churches among themselves and with Judaism and Islam, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Holy Land in 2009. Frans Bowen gives a profound analysis of the visit and the perspectives after the Pope’s visit in the last part of the book.