PONTIFICAL MISSION FOR PALESTINE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 9, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed representatives of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, who are in Rome for the concluding celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mission by Pope Pius XII.

The Pope recalled that the anniversary celebrations began in New York City "where the Mission has its headquarters, and then moved to the Holy Land, Jordan and Libya" and are concluding "in the city where the Apostles Peter and Paul bore their final heroic witness to Jesus Christ."

Expressing his gratitude to all who are committed to meeting the needs of the many people served by the Mission, Pope John Paul recalled that "it was the tragic suffering and destitution of the peoples of the Middle East at the end of the Second World War which gave rise to the desire in my predecessor Pope Pius XII to establish a Church organization specifically for the Middle East. He desired an agency which would lend assistance and support in the Holy Land to children, families, the wounded, the sick, the elderly, exiles. ... Today, 50 years later, the Mission has extended its charitable activity to Cyprus, Iraq and Syria."

He listed some of the ways that the Pontifical Mission for Palestine helps people to rebuild their lives in difficult times: "It is involved in reconstruction and development projects, it provides badly needed health care services, it has contributed to the re-establishment of agricultural, industrial and artisan activities. In this way it is an eloquent expression of that 'new culture of international solidarity and cooperation'."

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