Today, 11 March, CNEWA marks its centennial with the release of $1 million in emergency funds for the care of families displaced in southern Lebanon, emergency surgeries in Gaza, and grants to assist besieged communities in the Palestinian West Bank as part of its emergency campaign that began after the coordinated Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran, and Iran’s subsequent response. All funds support church-led relief efforts and initiatives.
Since October 2023, CNEWA has rushed more than $3.8 million in emergency funds to the Middle East, thanks to its generous benefactors and friends throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. This includes grants of $1.7 million drawn from the special collection called for by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in August 2025 and taken up in parishes across the country. Monies from U.S. dioceses and parishes have thus far provided support for:
- Emergency program of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Gaza
- Tuition assistance and staff salaries for schools of the Latin Patriarchate
- Support of the burn unit and surgeries at Al-Ahli Anglican Hospital in Gaza
- Lab equipment for Near East Council of Churches’ Al-Rimal clinic in Gaza
- Winter kits and nutritional support for families and children in Gaza
- Emergency jobs for the unemployed in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank
- Aid to Taybeh and Bethlehem, shattered by settlers’ attacks and economic ruin
- Food, shelter and mattresses for displaced families fleeing the bombing of southern Lebanon.
“Ten days ago, 1 March, the world of the Middle East and CNEWA changed dramatically with the escalation and eruption of war throughout the Middle East,” said CNEWA President Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari. “Today, in all the places where CNEWA works there is the experience of war, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, and the sight of bombardment and explosive drones as if it were a video game!
“Except this is not a game,” he continued. “This is the brutal reality of everyone’s life in the region, which has been disrupted and irrevocably affected. There is a desperate need for basic humanitarian assistance: clean water, food, medicine and mobile medical teams, hygiene kits and shelter. And given the emotional and traumatic suffering, psychosocial counseling is needed for those cared for and those who care for them.”
In a message to CNEWA’s friends and benefactors, Msgr. Vaccari noted that “as we enter our second century of service, permit me to thank you for being part of our worldwide network of generosity and compassion — our CNEWA communitas, united in faith and belief in the essential human dignity inherent to each of God’s children.”
Noting the vicious spiral of loneliness among those who, for no fault of their own, are subjected to the terror of constant and total war, Msgr. Vaccari reminded this CNEWA family that “only by the power of God’s grace can we journey together arm in arm with our neighbor — whomever or wherever they may be — and continue living out that gospel-driven command to “go and do likewise.”
“Thanks to you, and the generations of good people who have preceded us, CNEWA has been building bridges for the past 100 years. We have partnered with the apostolic eastern churches to heal the sick, feed the hungry, comfort the despondent and shelter the displaced throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe.”
And while “the world looks very different than it did at the time of our founding, our mission as an agency of healing and hope is more vital than ever.”