committed to supporting the work of the church in the Holy Land. Food Insecurity in Ethiopia Up to 15 percent of Ethiopians are expected to face acute food insecurity at crisis or emergency levels between April and July of this year, according to reports issued by U.N. agencies. Argaw Fantu, who directs CNEWA operations in Ethiopia, reports malnutrition rates are “alarmingly high,” and emergency conditions are emerging in certain areas, including regions still suffering from the 2020-2023 drought. Ongoing conflict, insecurity, economic decline and shortfalls in international aid are also drivers of the pending crisis, he adds. Nevertheless, CNEWA helps support the church’s response, addressing food insecurity, malnutrition and the educational needs of affected children, reaching nearly 23,000 people last year — a fraction, he admits. To help the church reach more families in desperate need throughout Ethiopia, visit cnewa.org/what-we-do/ help-us-rush-help. The Rise of Global Fascism Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop emeritus of Vienna and acting ordinary for Byzantine Catholics in Austria, spoke of the global rise of fascism during a 90-minute meeting with representatives of nine different aid agencies, including CNEWA, on 29 January in Vienna. The cardinal, who hails from a prominent Central European family long engaged in the region’s cultural, political and socioeconomic affairs,
noted how intolerance targeted the church and its leaders, pointing to a painting in his residence vandalized on 6 October 1938, by Nazi youth who intended to murder then-Cardinal Theodor Innitzer of Vienna. The cardinal escaped. However, one month later Nazi leaders coordinated a night of terror throughout Austria, Germany and Sudetenland — what has become known as Kristallnacht — that torched 1,400 synagogues and vandalized countless Jewish businesses and homes. Msgr. Vaccari, Tresool Singh-Conway, chief financial officer, and Brian McGinley, director of development, were among those present for the reception during a conference on Catholic aid to the churches of Central and Eastern Europe. CNEWA Marks 100 Years! CNEWA launched its centennial year on 1 December 2025, with its annual Healing & Hope Gala, raising more than $250,000 in support of CNEWA’s mission.
Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, was the guest of honor. This December, CNEWA’s chair, Archbishop Hicks, will celebrate a centennial Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Sunday, 13 December; a reception will follow. Two days later, CNEWA will hold its annual Healing & Hope Gala at the Plaza Hotel. Frà John Dunlap, prince and 81st grand master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, will be the guest of honor. Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, will receive CNEWA’s Faith & Culture Award. Stay tuned for more details or visit: cnewa.org/events.
Michèle Burke Bowe, ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Palestine and president of Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation, which supports maternity care initiatives in the West Bank, received CNEWA’s Faith & Culture Award.
Grant Monies Received CNEWA received a $50,000 grant toward the Italian Hospital in Jordan from the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities. We are grateful to our donors, whose generosity brings the mission of CNEWA to life. To learn more about CNEWA’s grant program, contact Bradley Kerr at bkerr@cnewa.org.
There is even more on the web Visit cnewa.org for updates
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100 YEARS OF HEALING & HOPE
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