Caritas_Internationalis

Caritas Internationalis

Caritas Internationalis

Catholic relief, development and social service

Caritas Internationalis (Latin for "Charity International") is a confederation of 162[1][2] national Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.[4] The name Caritas Internationalis refers to both the global network of Caritas organizations and to its general secretariat based in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy.

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Collectively and individually, their missions are "to serve the poor and to promote charity and justice throughout the world".[5] Caritas Internationalis is the second-largest international humanitarian aid network in the world after the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.[6] [7][8][9]

The first Caritas organization was Caritas Germany, established by Lorenz Werthmann in 1897 in Freiburg.[10] Other national Caritas organizations were soon formed in Switzerland (1901) and the United States (Catholic Charities, 1910).[11]

History

In July 1924, during the international Eucharistic Congress in Amsterdam, 60 delegates from 22 countries formed a conference, with headquarters at Caritas Switzerland in Luzern. In 1928, the conference became known as Caritas Catholica. The delegates met every two years until the outbreak of the Second World War when all activities came to a standstill. Work resumed in 1947, with the approval of the Secretariat of State, and two conferences were convened in Luzern to help coordinate efforts and collaboration.

Caritas was given a further endorsement when the Secretariat of State entrusted it with the official representation of all welfare organizations at the international level, especially at the United Nations. The Holy Year in 1950 saw the beginning of a union of Caritas organizations. Following a suggestion by Monsignor Montini, then Substitute Secretary of State, and later Pope Paul VI, a study week, with participants from 22 countries, was held in Rome to examine the problems of Christian Caritas work. As a result, the decision was made to set up an international conference of Roman Catholic charities.[12]

In December 1951, upon approval of the statutes by the Holy See, the first constitutive General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis took place. Founding members came from Caritas organizations in 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. The Church describes Caritas as its official voice "in relation to its teachings in the area of charity work".[13]

In 1954, the Confederation changed its name to Caritas Internationalis to reflect the international presence of Caritas members on every continent.[13] As of 2015, the Confederation has 164 members working in over 200 countries and territories. Its General Secretariat is located in the Palazzo San Callisto, Vatican City. The current president is Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi and the secretary general is Alistair Dutton.

After World War Two, Caritas was implicated in assisting Franz Stangl, a supervisor at the Hartheim Euthanasia Centre which was the early Nazi euthanasia programme responsible for the deaths of over 70,000 mentally ill or physically deformed people in Germany, in his escape to Syria. After Stangl made his way to Rome from Linz, the Caritas relief agency provided him with a Red Cross passport and a boat ticket to Syria.[14]

Caritas national and regional agencies

Sign in front of the office of the secretariat of Caritas Africa in Lomé, Togo.
Nursery home of the German Caritas in Berlin.
Main office of Caritas Albania in Tirana.
St. Nicholas Orphanage, established by Caritas in Novosibirsk, Russia.
Headquarters of Caritas Lebanon in Beirut.
Headquarters of Armenian Caritas in Gyumri.
The Caritas House in Caine Road, Mid-levels, Hong Kong

The full membership list of Caritas organizations includes:[15]

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See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Pope warns charity network Caritas against 'worldly ways of thinking'". National Catholic Reporter. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Caritas Internationalis General Assembly 2023". Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  3. [3]
    "Members". icvanetwork.org. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  4. [4]
    "Caritas Internationalis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  5. [5]
    "Our Mission". caritas.org. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  6. [6]
    "Caritas Cardinal optimistic about our aid capacity". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  7. [7]
    Kington, Tom (26 May 2023). "Vatican's aid organisation brings in Briton to work miracles". The Times. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  8. [8]
    Watkins, Devin (14 May 2023). "Archbishop Kikuchi: 'Caritas helps forgotten people find hope'". Vatican News. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  9. [9]
    O'Connell, Gerard (17 May 2023). "Interview: New Vatican charity leaders look to the future after workplace crisis". America (magazine). Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  10. [10]
    "The History of Caritas in Germany". caritas-germany.org. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  11. [11]
    O'Rourke, Pauric (2010). "Caritas Internationalis. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society pp 98–99". Springer, New York, NY. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  12. [12]
    "Caritas Internationalis (CI)". uia.org. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  13. [13]
    "History - Caritas Internationalis". Caritas Internationalis. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  14. [14]
    Levy, Alan (2006) [1993]. Nazi Hunter: The Wiesenthal File (Revised 2002 ed.). London: Constable & Robinson. ISBN 978-1-84119-607-7.
  15. [15]
    "Where we work". caritas.org. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  16. [16]
    Caritas refers to the territories in which Caritas Jerusalem is active (Israel and Palestinian territories) as "Holy Land".
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