Connections to CNEWA’s world ‘Light of Wisdom’ Pope Leo XIV addressed a meeting of representatives of funding agencies supporting the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (known by its Italian acronym, ROACO) on 26 June, noting that “today, violent conflict seems to be raging in the Christian East with a diabolical intensity previously unknown.” He thanked the agencies, including the only organization founded to support the Eastern churches, CNEWA, for providing “a breath of oxygen to the Eastern churches” and “sowing seeds of hope in the lands of the Christian East.” He called for the “light of wisdom” of the Eastern churches “to be better known in the Catholic Church.” CNEWA Out and About Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, CNEWA president, addressed ROACO members during their general assembly in Rome 23-26 June. He noted CNEWA’s efforts in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe help to ensure the survival of Eastern Christianity, reminding participants that Pope Francis and Pope Leo have linked the great religious traditions of the East to a call for action. As CNEWA prepares to celebrate its centennial anniversary, that link between the great “traditions of spirituality” and the challenge to be instruments of hope and peace “is omnipresent in the regions where we work.” Msgr. Vaccari visited several U.S. cities this past summer as well, addressing more than 250 people gathered for the Third North American Metropolitan Byzantine Catholic Assembly in Whiting, Indiana, on 19 July. He also visited parishes and donors in Portland, Maine, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Orlando.
4
CNEWA.ORG/ONE
Pope Leo XIV greets Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, CNEWA president, during an audience with ROACO members at the Vatican on 26 June.
Bethlehem Emergency In the first six months of 2025, more than 240 individuals in the West Bank’s Bethlehem area benefited from a CNEWA-Pontifical Mission program coordinating some $278,000 from North American and European funders, including Kinderhilfe Bethlehem; Embrace the Middle East; the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm; Vastenactie; and the Swiss Holy Land Foundation. The project was in response to the “severe economic and humanitarian crisis” in the Palestinian West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. CNEWA-Pontifical Mission partnered with the municipalities
of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala to offer 60 people temporary jobs upgrading the digital presence of the two towns, such as websites, social media and online archives; improving public hygiene with a campaign to clean up solid waste and remove rubbish; and restoring jobs in cultural heritage. The grant also offered medical assistance to people identified by the Arab Orthodox Benevolent Society and tuition assistance to 110 Christian students for the 2024-2025 academic year. Grants to Assist Children Over the summer, CNEWA received two grants earmarked for projects in the Middle East and Africa. The