The “Pontifical Mission for Palestine” is considered one of the most important institutions established by the Holy See after the Nakba of 1948, and the fleeing of many people from Palestine to neighboring countries or to distant countries.
On June 18, 1949 Pope Pius XII established the Pontifical Mission for Palestine whose objective was to help Palestinian refugees by providing commodities and services necessary for educational, cultural, religious and humanitarian needs. Its launching preceded the establishment of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which was established by the United Nations for similar reasons, by several months.
The administration of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine was entrusted up to this moment to a Catholic institution established in New York, the United States, by Pope Pius XII in 1926, namely the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), the Pontifical Mission, in addition to the administration in the United States, a liaison office in the Holy See, three regional offices in East Jerusalem, Beirut (that serves Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt) and in Jordan (serving Jordan and Iraq, especially the Mosul region, which was subjected 10 years ago to the forcible displacement of Christians by ISIS.
The Pontifical Mission provides aid through the following methods, namely emergency assistance by providing food, clothing, medical aid, and temporary shelter; in addition to caring for and rehabilitating homes and educational, medical, charitable and religious institutions destroyed by wars. Furthermore, it encourages the empowerment of the poor and the oppressed through educational programs, in addition to its role in raising awareness about the problems prevalent in the Middle East and urging the attainment of justice and peace.
Days ago, the Pontifical Mission marked its 75the anniversary with a Holy Mass celebrated by Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso in the presence of President of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine Msgr. Peter Vaccari, who said during the celebration, “The Pontifical Mission was established for the sake of Palestine, as a sign of love from the Holy See. Today, after 75 years, we say: ‘We will not abandon Palestine, and we will continue to serve it and serve its good people’.”
As for the Apostolic Nuncio, he conveyed well wishes to Pontifical Mission Regional Director Mr. Ra’ed Bahou and the members of staff and encouraged them to continue their work for the attainment of several projects. He also stressed that the Apostolic Mission provides evidence that the Holy See and Pope Francis undertake nowadays efforts to stop the war in Gaza and to provide aid to the afflicted. Quoting Pope Paul VI, he said: “The Pontifical Mission is the clearest sign that the Vatican cares about the well-being of the Palestinians, and that they are dear to our hearts.”
