Working with local communities and the Church to bring healing and care to those in need. Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, Catholic Near East Welfare Association supports the works and activities of the Eastern churches in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Concerned for the fate of Palestinian refugees, in 1949 Pope Pius XII founded the Pontifical Mission for Palestine,
entrusting its leadership and administration to CNEWA. With growing regional instability, the mandate expanded to serve all those in need. Now with three offices in the Middle East — Amman, Beirut and Jerusalem — CNEWA-PMP works for, through and with the local churches, supporting programs that form church and community leaders, and sustain schools and social services for the most vulnerable. The overall direction of CNEWA-PMP is entrusted to a president proposed by a board of bishops and confirmed by the Holy See. CNEWA-PMP collaborates closely with the Holy See’s Congregation for the Eastern Churches as well as other departments of the Holy See. Regional Offices of CNEWA-PMP in Amman, Beirut and Jerusalem are managed by directors who recommend, plan and execute programs in their particular area of responsibility. In Amman, this includes projects in Jordan and Iraq; in Beirut, this includes projects in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt; and in Jerusalem, this includes projects in Palestine and Israel. In exceptional circumstances, an emergency response team is formed to address pressing needs. Year of Establishment: 1949
