How can so much pain and suffering be inflicted upon a people and no notice taken by those that are inflicting it? Tell me the ideology or political view that outweighs the right to life? Around 9.3 million of Syria’s 23 million inhabitants need aid. The number of people who have lost their homes or Read more
Caritas Social Action Network for England and Wales is backing British Prime Minister David Cameron’s plans to restrict access to online pornography. Cameron has set out a number of proposals, including one that would see every Internet user forced to opt in if they want to access online porn. “We feel these are important steps Read more
A German court has ruled that a man who renounced his faith cannot claim a right to retain his job with a Catholic charity. The plaintiff had been dismissed by Caritas Germany after he changed his legal registration as a Catholic, in a public protest against Church policies. He said that his dismissal was a Read more
Catholic churches and charities in Russia have been targeted in a wave of raids on organisations with foreign links, which the government has labelled “foreign agents”. The raids on non-government organisations across the country prompted the German and French governments to summon Russian diplomats in Berlin and Paris to express their concern. “The Catholic Church Read more
The damage caused by Cyclone Evan is much worse than the 2009 tsunami according to the head of Caritas Samoa. Puletini Tuala says 20 people are missing, more than 4,500 people are in evacuation centres (with over 300 people in Caritas-supported centres) and over 4,000 homes have been destroyed. “This is worse than the 2009 tsunami, Read more
A proposed law to improve the lot of our youngest and most vulnerable workers deserves support. Parliament will this week debate whether working children aged 16 or younger should be regarded as employees rather than contractors, when Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene’s private member’s bill is introduced on Wednesday. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Read more
An Austrian priest who has openly challenged Catholic teachings on celibacy and the ordination of women has had his title of monsignor take away by the Vatican. Father Helmut Schueller, who heads a group called Call to Disobedience, held the honorary title in his capacity as head of the Austrian branch of Caritas. Continue reading
More signs of hope are visible everywhere I look, in this season of Spring. From nature – two blossoms already on my pohutukawa from the Kermadecs, shining cuckoos and grey warblers singing in competition. One powerful sign for me was the recent conference in Wellington, ‘Christianity and the ecological crisis’, with the themes of lament, Read more
Catholic charity Caritas’ chapter in Spain has issued a new report showing that poverty, inequality and social injustice are on the rise in the European country. The findings were presented on Sept. 20 in Madrid by the secretary general of Caritas, Sebastian Mora, and the coordinator of the study team, Francisco Lorenzo. Caritas says that Read more
Caritas Internationalis is ramping up its efforts to help the growing number of Syrian families who have fled the conflict in their homeland. “Within Syria, Caritas is distributing food,” Laura Sheahan of Caritas told CNA. “It’s been a little hard in terms of cooked food because it’s difficult to even get fuel in Syria, but Read more