Armenian-Catholic Accords

On 13 December 1996, Pope John Paul II and Karekin I, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, signed a declaration at the Vatican expressing a common understanding of the humanity and divinity of Christ.

The document reflects the conclusion of both faith communities that Christological disagreements dating back to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 were based on differences in terminology and culture, not on a different understanding of Christ.

The Catholicos was making his first official visit to the Holy See as head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which includes more than six million believers worldwide.

On 25 January, the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Pope and the Catholicos of Cilicia, Aram I, signed a joint declaration in which they declared the basic communion of faith of the Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches and pointed out a broad range of possibilities for constructive collaboration.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia encompasses 800,000 Armenian Apostolic Christians in Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Lebanon and Syria.

Aid to Iraqi Hospital

Our Amman office has made a grant to Al-Hayat Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, following a meeting with Sister Bushara Faraj and Sister Brigette Shamoun, members of the Dominican community, who manage the 25-bed hospital.

Al-Hayat Hospital also received medical supplies through the pharmacy of Amman’s Italian Hospital.

Good News for Eritrea

The Eritrean Catholic Church, in particular its two new eparchies, Barentu and Keren, were the focus of the semiannual meetings of funding agencies that assist the Eastern churches, or ROACO, held in Rome from 27 to 29 January.

CNEWA and its funding partners, Caritas Germany, Church in Need, the Archdiocese of Cologne (Germany), the Italian Episcopal Conference, Misereor, Missio and Porticus, pledged support for the programs of the eparchies and planned to continue coordinating efforts to assist the Eritrean Church.

Another highlight of ROACO was a discussion of Eastern Catholic seminaries and the training of Eastern Catholic priests, based on a report compiled by CNEWA.

The report, which was received well as a first step, will be expanded and updated.

Cardinal Visits Eritrea and Ethiopia

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, Achille Cardinal Silvestrini, traveled to the five Eastern Catholic eparchies in Eritrea and Ethiopia from 6 to 14 February.

Accompanied by Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, C.S., Apostolic Nuncio, and Brother Vincent Pelletier, F.S.C., Director of our Addis Ababa office, the Cardinal visited Addis Ababa and Adigrat in Ethiopia and Asmara, Barentu and Keren in Eritrea.

Apostolic Administrator Appointed

Father Giuseppe Pasotto, C.S.S., has been named Apostolic Administrator of the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus for Latins. A Stigmatine priest who has served in Georgia since 1994, Father Pasotto served as Vicar General to the Apostolic Nuncio to the Caucasus, Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel.

New Eparchies Erected in India

The Holy See has erected two new eparchies for the Eastern Catholic churches in India. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Takala has been created as a suffragan of Changanacherry. Msgr. George Alencherry has been appointed bishop.

The Holy See erected the Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of Marthandom and named Lawrence Mar Ephraem, the former Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum, as its first bishop.

Father Varkey Vithayathil, C.Ss.R., has been named Titular Archbishop of Acrida and Apostolic Administrator of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, following the retirement of Antony Cardinal Padiyara. And, in addition, seven other Eastern Catholic sees received new bishops.

New Face in Jerusalem

Father Guido Gockel, M.H.M., has been named Associate Director of our Jerusalem office. A member of the St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill, the Holland native spent may years as a missionary in Malaysia. He will work closely with Father Robert P. Reidy in the direction of our Jerusalem office.

CNEWA Family Member Mourned

On 13 February, we suffered the loss of Mr. Richard Cashin. A retired foreign service officer who volunteered in our New York office, he guided the development of CNEWA’s grant proposal to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which contributed major support for our relief and resettlement activities in Lebanon.

Dick had a distinguished career with the U.S. Department of State, the U.N. World Food Program and Catholic Relief Services.