Under the theme, “Localization in Action: Building Sustainable Partnerships,” Caritas Jordan has held a conference in Amman on its partners in social action. The conference was attended by President of Caritas Middle East and North Africa (MONA) Bishop Giorgio Bertin, who spoke about synodality in the Church today, as well as Coordinator of the Caritas MONA Office Mr. Karam Abi Yazbeck. The welcoming address was delivered by Mr. Thabet Elwir, chairman of the adminsirative board of Caritas Jordan that was newly established, who also introduced the members of the board in attendance.

Bishop Iyad Twal, vice director of Caritas Jordan, delivered an address highlighting the importance of governance within the framework of localization in action. He also took the opportunity to thank all those who contributed to Caritas’ mission over the past years, with special reference to Mr. Wael Suleiman, who led Caritas during the previous phase and submitted his resignation a few days ago. He also extended well wishes to the new board of directors, which is chaired by Mr. Elwir, while expressing his hope for continued achievements and for building bridges at both the local and international levels.

Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso also spoke about the connection between Catholic organizations and the Holy See. The opening session was moderated by Ms. Dana Shahin and included the screening of a documentary film on the work of Caritas Jordan over the past years.

A joint address was also delivered by Mr. John Coughlin of Caritas Internationalis and Ms. Amanda Schweitzer of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). This was followed by discussion sessions in which participating partners and supporters were divided into groups to discuss Caritas’ current structure and mission, as well as issues of governance, accountability, and international partnerships. The conference concluded with the presentation of summaries from each discussion group.