Emergency: Middle East in Ashes
“War divides; hope unites. Arrogance tramples upon others; love lifts up. Idolatry blinds us; the living God enlightens,” said Pope Leo XIV in a prayer vigil for peace on 11 April.
“My dearest friends, all it takes is a little faith, a mere “crumb” of faith, in order to face this dramatic hour in history together — as humanity and alongside humanity… . Within each of us, within every human being, the interior Teacher teaches peace, urges us toward encounter and inspires us to make supplication.
“Let us rise from the rubble! Nothing can confine us to a predetermined fate, not even in this world where there never seem to be enough graves, for people continue to crucify one another and eliminate life, with no regard to justice and mercy.”
The images of armed drones, missiles, explosions, flames, rubble and blood-spattered book bags and body parts haunt us, still. Although a cease fire has been declared among the combatants in the Middle East, countless of innocent lives are forever changed even as people — women and children — continue to die in southern Lebanon.
Many fear this renewed violence in the Middle East is an inflection point:
“Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” Pope Leo XIV said after the Angelus on Sunday, 1 March, hours after the United States and Israel launched its war against Iran.
Only God knows when this carnage will end. But one thing is clear: When the fog of war lifts, the impact will have been felt most strongly by civilians, families, children, the elderly — the most vulnerable and marginalized of these already battered communities.
CNEWA continues to serve these communities through the many works of the dynamic Eastern churches throughout the Middle East. In Jerusalem, in Gaza, in Jordan, in Syria and in Lebanon, we continue to minister to those in tremendous need, offering emergency relief: food and water, medicines, clothing, shelter and open ears, minds and hearts.
“Our teams throughout the region work long hours on behalf of the churches and peoples whom we are committed to serve,” said Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, president of CNEWA and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine. “Their lives and schedules are the living translation of the Gospel question ‘Who is my neighbor?’ as they are there for everyone!”
CNEWA’s men and women on the ground, whether in the Middle East or Northeast Africa or India or Eastern Europe are our heroes on the ground. And they need our help now, too.
Please send your gift to support CNEWA’s emergency work, helping us to respond safely and efficiently to the crises unfolding across an arc of terror, stretching from the Horn of Africa, throughout the Middle East, and into the Caucasus and Ukraine.
And please, pray for a return to dialogue, diplomacy, justice and a lasting peace.