Village Restoration in Lebanon
“Our village restoration program in Lebanon is proceeding beyond our expectations,” Msgr. Denis J. Madden, Associate Secretary General, reported.
“I wish our benefactors could see all that is happening in Lebanon as a result of the program,” he continued. “Displaced Lebanese are returning to their villages and communities are working together with a newfound spirit of cooperation and partnership.”
Msgr. Madden and Issam Bishara, Regional Director for Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, visited a number of our Lebanon projects in late March. These included irrigation canals in the villages of Kfarnis and Korhaya, agricultural roads in Bireh and Wadi el Sit, a sewage treatment facility in Merkebta and a secondary school in Azkeh.
At a meeting in Lebanon on 31 March, the American Ambassador to Lebanon, David Satterfield, expressed his thanks to CNEWA and encouraged a further expansion of restoration projects.
Bishop Duprey
The Holy See has accepted the resignation of Bishop Pierre Duprey, 76, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity since 1983. Distinguished for his work with the Eastern churches and his tireless efforts to promote Christian unity, Bishop Duprey has strong personal ties with all Eastern Church leaders, with whom he has engaged in fruitful dialogue. CNEWA is privileged to count this renowned ecumenist as a long-time friend and close collaborator.
Replacing Bishop Duprey is Bishop Walter Kaspar, 66, of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany. Also a well-known ecumenist, Bishop Kaspar was a consultant to the council until he became secretary.
Melkite Church Honors Msgr. Stern
On Monday of Holy Week, His Beatitude, Maximos V, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem, appointed CNEWA’s Secretary General, Msgr. Robert L. Stern, Grand Archimandrite of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The office – granted since the fourth century to the superior of a monastery and now also given as a clerical honor – recognizes Msgr. Stern’s enthusiastic support of the Eastern churches.
Holy See and the Middle East
On the occasion of receiving the President’s Medal of the Catholic University of America, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, gave a major address concerning the Holy See and the Middle East in Washington on 9 March.
Speaking about Jerusalem, the Archbishop said that in the Middle East the Holy See “has absolutely not abandoned its principles: the peaceful resolution of differences; rejection of the forcible occupation by one of the parties of an area of the City of Jerusalem; and the request for an internationally guaranteed status for the most religious parts of this unique city.”
We Lose a Friend
Retired Bishop John L. Paschang of Grand Island, Nebraska, died on 21 March at the age of 103. The Bishop was a good friend and generous benefactor of CNEWA, always willing to help where the need was greatest.
In the autumn of 1995, CNEWA presented Bishop Paschang with an olive wood carving of the Holy Family, handmade in the Holy Land, in honor of his 100th birth-day and in appreciation of his generous support.
Pontifical Mission Celebrates
A series of celebrations to mark the Pontifical Mission’s 50th anniversary will take place in autumn and early winter.
There will be three days of celebration in New York City from 23 to 25 October. Events will include a Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, presided over by John Cardinal O’Connor, a Waldorf luncheon and a symposium and reception hosted by the United Nations.
Archbishop Tauran will be the keynote speaker at this historic event.
Observances in Amman, Beirut and Jerusalem are planned for late November, culminating with observances at the Vatican in December.
Invitations to our benefactors and friends will be sent in early May. Save these dates!
Catholic-Muslim Values
U.S. Catholic and Muslim leaders discussed their respective laws and traditions concerning marriage and family values at the annual meeting of the Middle Atlantic Region Muslim-Catholic Dialogue, held this year in a Philadelphia suburb on 3 and 4 March.
Brother David Carroll., F.S.C., Assistant to the Secretary General, participated in the meeting and commented that “dialogue on such matters is crucial in light of the increased numbers of Muslims migrating to the States.”