Catholic Near East Welfare Association Founded Today

Today in 1926 marks the founding of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), a pontifical agency designed to aid the Church’s pastoral mission in the Middle East and to provide material assistance to the needy in that region. Its jurisdiction also covers Northeast Africa, India, Eastern Europe, and Eastern Rite Catholics everywhere. Prior to the CNEWA’s founding, there were several American-based organizations working in these areas, and Pope Pius XI wanted to united all these efforts under one banner. The first President was Father Edmund A. Walsh, the Jesuit who had directed relief work in Russia during the early 1920’s. Today its principal offices are located in New York City.