The fund will operate "thanks to the active collaboration of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine," the statement said.
At the start of the live broadcast of Mass, the pope first prayed that people would use the pandemic-induced time of increased silence in their lives to learn how to listen.
This week on "Inside the Vatican," Molly Burhans explains how location data can help the church use its resources more efficiently to extend care to the greatest number of people.