Catholic Near East Welfare Association

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) is an agency of the Holy See, founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926 to support the churches and peoples of the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Its first President was Edmund A. Walsh, S.J.

CNEWA’s operating agency in the Middle East is the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, which was founded by Pope Pius XII in 1949.

In June 2011, Monsignor John E. Kozar was appointed by Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, as President of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and President of the Mission. The appointment was confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI.