JERUSALEM – The Coordination of Catholic Relief Organizations of the Holy Land (CCAO) met for the first time with the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa on Wednesday, December 14, 2016, to study various humanitarian projects in the region.
It was the first CCAO meeting with the new Apostolic Administrator. It was an opportunity for Archbishop Pizzaballa to meet the President of the Coordination, Tony Khashram. The latter began with a general presentation of the mission of the organization, which coordinates the work of the different institutions and their projects for better effectiveness on the ground, and presented an assessment at the end of 2016.
Archbishop Pizzaballa thanked the president and members of the CCAO for their work, while emphasizing a number of points: to ensure better cooperation among the Catholic humanitarian organizations in emergency situations such as in Gaza, and also in responding to daily issues in the entire Holy Land; to study the long-term needs; to work on the concerns of the Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem: study more precisely their needs, particularly housing, retirement homes or day-care centers.
During the meeting, the Latin Patriarchate General Administration highlighted various projects in Gaza, which were carried out with the support of the Coordination.
The Coordination of Catholic Relief Organizations in the Holy Land (CCAO) was established in accordance with the pastoral plan of the Diocesan Synod of Catholic Churches in the Holy Land in 2000. Article 15 of the Pastoral Plan under the heading “The presence of our Churches in the world of human suffering “, specifies for the creation of a higher council of institutions working in the area of human suffering for better coordination and collaboration. The CCAO is working in collaboration with the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL).
Myriam Ambroselli
Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
