Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Over $20,000,000 every year is spent on programs for priestly formation, social and healthcare services, building churches and religious structures, youth education, assistance for orphans and immigrants, humanitarian aid for crises, promotion of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, economic and social development of underprivileged communities. All of it, thanks to the work carried out by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a papal agency for humanitarian and pastoral support of Catholics in the Middle East, North Africa, India, and Eastern Europe.
The CNEWA is headed by Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop of New York (President) and Secretary General Monsignor Robert Stern. In its most recent Financial Statement, which was also sent to Agenzia Fides, the CNEWA presented an evaluation of the funding procured in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Thanks to donations made to the Association, over 4 million dollars have gone towards social and healthcare services, such as the establishment of a clinic in Gaza, an orphanage in Maharasthra (India), and a home for the elderly in Baghdad. Over 38,000 children in difficulty in 513 facilities distributed throughout the East have benefited from this aid. The construction or reconstruction of churches and religious buildings (in India, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Palestine) was equal to a sum of almost 3 million dollars, and 2.7 million have gone towards formation of priests and seminarians. The general balance was considerably greater than $20,000,000 and thanks to this generosity, the eastern Churches have been able to witness firsthand the aid and assistance of the universal Church.
The CNEWA began in 1926, founded by Pope Pius XI in order to express the Holy See's favored attention to Christians living the East. The Association has headquarters in Rome, the United States, and Canada, with regional directors in Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Jordan, el Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel. Through the Eastern Churches, it works in full communion with the Holy See, supporting all their pastoral needs, social promotion, and development for Catholics in the East, establishing friendly relations as well with the Orthodox Churches. Among the instruments of communication used by the CNEWA is the magazine “One” and the website: www.cnewa.org. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 4/12/2008)
