A Letter From the Holy Land by Joseph Hazboun
Editors’ note: Pope Pius XII founded the Pontifical Mission for Palestine in 1949 to coordinate worldwide Catholic aid in care of the refugees fleeing the first Arab-Israeli conflict. He entrusted its administration to CNEWA. As the conflicts in the Middle East grew, so did the mission of this unique task force of the Holy See, which today functions as CNEWA’s operating agency in the Middle East with regional teams based in Amman, Beirut and Jerusalem. Always, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission works through the local churches, responding to emergencies — rushing basic life needs, such as water, food and medicines — supporting education and formation programs, health care and other social services and, in a region beset with crises, post-traumatic counseling.