Prof. Salim Daccache s.j.

President of the Fondation USJ

Member of the Society of Jesus since 1975. Ordained priest on April 13, 1983.

• PhD in Educational Sciences, University of Strasbourg – France (2011).
• PhD in Literature and Philosophy on the Muslim Kalam in the 10th century from Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Paris 1) (1988).
• MA in Theology and Philosophy from the Sèvres Institute, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy (1983).
• BA in Philosophy from Saint-Joseph University of Beirut (1973).

• Rector of Saint-Joseph University of Beirut since August 1st, 2012.
• Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies (2008-2012).
• Director of the Institute of Oriental Letters (2010-2012).
• Rector of the Lebanese Jesuit school, Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour, for 18 years (1991-2008).
• Teacher of Religious Philosophy, Interreligious Dialogue and Syriac Spirituality at the Faculty of Religious Studies of USJ.
• Supervises PhD theses, mainly in philosophy and religious studies.

• President of the Universities Association of Lebanon (since November 2, 2020)
• Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital (since 2017)
• Vice-President of the Board of Directors of AUF (2017)
• Full board member of the International Association of Universities (IAU) (since 2016)
• Board of Directors member of the Francophone University Agency (AUF) (since 2013)
• Editor-in-Chief of the 1898-established, Society of Jesus’ Arab cultural magazine Mashreq (since 1990)
• Associate Director of the Society of Jesus’ Dar el-Machriq Publishing House (since 1984)
• Vice-Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Bible Society for Lebanon and Syria
• Member of the Management Council of Jesuit Schools in the Bekaa Valley (5 schools)
• Director of Notre Dame de la Consolata High School, Taanayel, Lebanon
• Director of the Lebanese Association of Friendship and Islamic-Christian Dialogue (GLADIC)
• Director of the Center for Research and Publications of the Christian East (CERPOC) – FSR
• Director of POC Magazine (revue Proche-Orient Chétien) – FSR

Honors and awards:
• Awarded the insignia of Officier des Palmes Académiques by H.E. Mr. Bernard Emié, Ambassador of France, on Friday May 25, 2007.
• Honored by Mubadarat Developments Initiatives, on September 20, 2014.
• Awarded the insignia of the Order of Merit of the French Republic, by H.E. Mr. Patrice Paoli, Ambassador of France, on Thursday, July 2, 2015.
• Presented with the President Elias Hraoui Award on Monday, July 11, 2016.

Publications:
• Brief Statements on the Body (aqwal wajiza fil-jasad), Cardinal Carlo-Maria Martini, S.J. (translated into Arabic from Italian), All Rights Reserved, 1st edition 2015, Dar el-Machriq LLC, Achrafieh, Beirut 2015, 135 pages.
• S. Daccache et al., Coexistence and conflicts in Bilâd al-Châm during the Ottoman era. Muslims and Christians through chroniclers and travelers’ writings (Cohabitation et conflits dans le Bilâd al-Châm à l’époque ottomane. Musulmans et chrétiens à travers les écrits des chroniqueurs et des voyageurs), Université Saint-Joseph, Université de Balamand, Institut français du Proche-Orient, Orient Institut Beirut, 467 p.
• School pluralism in Lebanon: a comparative study between two systems: the Muslim and Christian educational systems in terms of purpose, general goals, and values. Comparative study of the common purpose, goals, and values of interfaith groups in Lebanese Christian, Muslim, and secular schools, written in French (2013).
• The issue of the creation of the world and its historical context in Abu Mansur al-Maturidi’s Muslim Kalam (10th century), Recherches de l’Université Saint-Joseph Collection (2009).
• Spiritual Homilies and Letters of John of Dalyatha, translated from Syriac to Arabic.
• Publication and translation of The Spiritual Retreat to the Retreatants written in Arabic by Bishop Germanos Farhat in the 18th century, author of the Meditation of Girolamo Savonarola.
• More than a hundred articles, conference proceedings, and studies in the Arabic, French, English and Italian languages in the field of education, Syriac spirituality, moral and political philosophy, Islamic