NEW YORK – The leader of Lebanon’s Maronite Church, Nasrallah Cardinal Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, will hold a press conference at Catholic Near East Welfare Association, 1011 First Avenue, New York, on Monday, 21 March, at 10:30 a.m.
A leading voice for Lebanese self-determination and a proponent of peaceful change in the Middle East, the patriarch will visit CNEWA as part of his visit to the United States, which includes a meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House.
Through its operating agency in the Middle East, the Pontifical Mission, CNEWA has been actively engaged in rebuilding Lebanon, devastated by more than 15 years of war. In addition to village revitalization programs, which include the building of roads, bridges, sewage systems, houses and schools, CNEWA supports the formation of Lebanon’s Maronite, Armenian, Melkite and Syriac Catholic seminarians and a host of programs run by Lebanon’s religious communities.
Last year, CNEWA allocated $3,124,309 for its work in Lebanon.
Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA is a special agency of the Vatican providing support to the churches and peoples of the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Projects include needy child, seminarian and novice sponsorship programs; village redevelopment; health care and education; and interfaith dialogue.