Updates from the Congregation for Eastern Churches

As many brothers and sisters of the Eastern Churches are celebrating the Sacred Triduum of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord and on the eve of the feast of Divine Mercy, the Congregation for the Eastern Churches has set up an emergency fund - known as the Fondo Emergenza CEC - in response to the invitation of the Holy Father not to abandon the suffering, especially the poor, in facing the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to the active collaboration of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), the  Pontifical Mission for Palestine central offices both in New York and in Canada, as well as their local offices, and in constant connection with the other Agencies that compose the Riunione Opere Aiuto Chiese Orientali (ROACO), it is possible to support some relief efforts, also drawing on the Collection for the Holy Land, which has been postponed this year to Sunday 13 September.  This Collection normally guarantees subsidies for the life of the Churches in the East. The Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development and the General Secretariat of Caritas Internationalis will be kept informed of every intervention.

In concrete terms, thanks to the suggestions of the Apostolic Nunciatures, it was decided immediately to guarantee the following donations in the name of the Holy Father:

• SYRIA: 10 ventilators, in collaboration with AVSI, to be shared in the three structures for which the project Open Hospitals continues
• HOLY LAND: 3 ventilators for St Joseph’s Hospital in Jerusalem, the purchase and supply of diagnostic kits for Gaza and an extraordinary contribution for the work of the Holy Family Hospital at Bethlehem.

Other suggestions coming from other countries are being studied.

Despite the economic uncertainty, the Congregation will assure the aid it annually sends to schools and Catholic universities, as well as assistance to the displaced in Syria and Iraq and the refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, likewise in collaboration with the Catholic Agencies that form part of ROACO.

Let us all pray to God the Father to free us from the evils afflicting humanity, as we join in acts of genuine solidarity and brotherly love.

For updates and information about contributing to the Fondo Emergenza CEC, please write to roaco@orientchurch.va