In mid-September, Pope Benedict XVI made a historic trip to Lebanon to present his apostolic exhortation, or concluding document, following the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops in 2010. Msgr. Robert L. Stern, then president of CNEWA-Pontificial Mission, was a voting member of the synod and an active contributor to the proceedings.
Through the Pontifical Mission, CNEWA has long worked to promote unity and provide relief to the troubled countries of the Middle East. (To learn more about one such effort, you can read a report by Issam Bishara, regional director for Lebanon and Syria, here: cnewa.org/web/syriareport). In the pages of this magazine, we have reported extensively on the monumental changes underway through the region and how those changes are impacting people of all faiths.
In the next issue of the ONE, we will look more closely at the Holy Father’s exhortation and what it means for the Middle East and, indeed, for the world. In the meantime, read the complete text online at cnewa.org/web/exhortation.