Visit of Armenian Catholicos

The Armenian Apostolic Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Aram I, was the guest of honor at a CNEWA luncheon on 21 October. Elected catholicos in 1995, Aram I guides more than 800,000 Armenian Apostolic Christians living in Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Lebanon, North America and Syria.

A noted ecumenist and a good friend of CNEWA, the catholicos spoke of his affection and respect for Msgr. Robert L. Stern, CNEWA’s Secretary General, and his fondness for New York City and his time as an undergraduate at Fordham University.

Local Catholic and Orthodox bishops and priests, representatives of the Lebanese government and executives from the New York office of CNEWA were present.The Catholicosate of Cilicia, based north of Beirut, is one of two Armenian Apostolic catholicosates. The other is in Etchmiadzin, near Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.

Call to Action

CNEWA Canada’s National Secretary, Carl Hétu, continues to promote the agency’s work throughout Canada, concentrating on its Catholic bishops and other Catholic leaders. At the end of August, Mr. Hétu met with Msgr. Mario Paquette, General Secretary of the Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops, in Ottawa.

A month later, Mr. Hétu addressed the Ontario Episcopal Assembly, urging the bishops to support the churches and peoples of the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe.

“The involvement of Canada’s bishops is crucial to CNEWA’s effort to reach Canadian Catholics,” said Mr. Hétu. “Thus far there has been little opportunity for Canadian Catholics to get involved in CNEWA’s world. We offer Catholics a variety of ways to build greater understanding and peace.”

Father Long, Ecumenist, R.I.P.

Jesuit Father John F. Long, a leading ecumenist and authority on the Eastern churches, died on 20 September in New York City after emergency cardiac surgery. He was 80. As a member of the Vatican Secretariat (now the Pontifical Council) for Promoting Christian Unity, Father Long participated in drafting some of the most important documents of Vatican II, including “Unitatis Redintegratio,” “Dignitatis Humanae” and “Nostra Aetate.” From 1969 to 1980, he headed the secretariat’s section for relations with the Orthodox and from 1981 until his death, he was a consultant to the secretariat and later the council.

Father Long’s essay “A Century of Catholic-Orthodox Relations” appeared in the July 2005 issue of ONE magazine.

Hospitals in Baghdad Benefit

Stephen V. Kobasa, an English teacher at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, organized a September fund-raiser in New Haven to benefit two Catholic hospitals in Baghdad supported by CNEWA.

Proceeds from the Little Theater performance of Eliot Weinberger’s “What I Heard About Iraq,” a story of the United States involvement in Iraq through the words of government officials, will be split between Al Hayat and St. Raphael’s hospitals.

Studying Jordan

A one-week study tour to Jordan in September, cosponsored by CNEWA and the Jordan Tourism Board, gave members of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada a firsthand look at the Hashemite kingdom. Along with historical and biblical sites, the group visited two hospitals sponsored by CNEWA and met with religious and government leaders.

“In Jordan, religious tolerance between Christians and Muslims is a reality. Hope for this coexistence persists in other parts of the Middle East,” said tour participant Ann Augherton, Managing Editor of the Arlington (Virginia) Catholic Herald.

Forming Knights and Ladies

CNEWA continues its ongoing program to assist in the formation and education of members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. In September and October, Msgr. Stern and Brother David Carroll, F.S.C., Under Secretary General, addressed the members of the U.S. Eastern, Middle Atlantic, Northern, Southwestern and Western lieutenancies and the Canada-Atlantic Magistral Delegation and the Canada-Vancouver Lieutenancy.

U.S. Tax Act Eases Giving

Natural disasters this year have called for unprecedented generosity. To encourage giving in the United States, Congress has changed income tax laws to help Americans support relief efforts while continuing to support traditional charitable interests. CNEWA is qualified to receive tax-deductible contributions under this measure. A brochure explaining this window of opportunity, which ends 31 December 2005, is available from CNEWA. For more information, contact Rozanne Landers, toll-free, at 1-800-442-6392 or by email at rml@cnewa.org.