Salim Daccache s.j., rector of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, has a doctorate in humanities and philosophy on the Islamic Kalam in the 10th century from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University I, a doctorate in education sciences on academic pluralism in Lebanon from the University of Strasburg, a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from USJ and a master’s degree in theology and philosophy from the Centre Sèvres - Jesuit Faculty of Theology and Philosophy in France.
He has been the rector of Saint Joseph University of Beirut since 1 August 2012 after having been dean of the Faculty of Religious Sciences since September 2009 and director of the Institute for Oriental Languages since September 2010.
He occupied the post of rector of the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour des Jésuites of Lebanon (4,000 students) for 18 years.
He is the editor of the Arabic centenary cultural journal al-Machriq.
He has been a member of the Society of Jesus since 1975; he was ordained as a priest on 13 April 1983.
He is the author and translator of several books and publications, such as “Le problème de la création dans le Kalâm d'Abu Mansur al Maturidi” [The problem of creation in the Kalam of Abu Mansur al Maturidi], a book on Lebanese academic pluralism, “Pluralisme, citoyenneté et vivre ensemble au Liban” [Pluralism, citizenship and living together in Lebanon], publication and an introduction of the letter on the trinity of Abu Raitah al Takriti, the translation from Syriac of the spiritual letters and homilies of Jean de Dalyatha, publication and translation of “La retraite spirituelle aux retraitants” [The spiritual retreat for retreatants] compiled by Bishop Germanos Farhat. He published the Arabic version from the 18th century of Farhat’s meditations of Jérôme Savanarole. He is also actively working on four translations from Italian of books of Carlo Maria Martini as well as P. Kolvenbach’s book Verso la Pasqua.
P. Daccache has also published some hundred articles written either in Arabic or French or Italian in the fields of education, Syriac spirituality, moral and political philosophy, the ecclesial life of the Near East, Islamology, the meeting of cultures, interfaith dialogue, etc.
He is a teacher of philosophy of religion and interfaith dialogue and of Syrian spirituality at the Faculty of Religious Sciences of USJ.
