Close to 1 million Spaniards received help from Caritas to meet their basic needs in 2010. 300,000 were assisted for the first time 74% of those seeking aid were families 70% of those requesting assistance came after receiving little aid from government-run social services this is nearly 550,000 more than reported three years ago. Caritas Read more
Pope Benedict marked the UN day for refugees by urging civil authorities and all people of good will to welcome refugees and guarantee them dignified living conditions until they can freely and safely return to their homeland. The pope’s comments were made during his Angelus message. Speaking on Vatican radio, Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, the Read more
Not for the first time, Caritas Internationalis, the second-largest humanitarian relief agency in the world after the Red Cross, has been going through a rough patch in its relations with the Vatican, says The Tablet. This has resulted in the demoralising departure of its secretary general, Dr Lesley-Anne Knight, the renewal of whose four-year contract Read more
Michel Roy is the new general secretary of Caritas. The 56-year-old Frenchman was voted in by a majority of delegates at the organisation’s general assembly in Rome. Roy’s election followed the Vatican withholding the nomination for a second term of the then current general secretary, Lesley-Anne Knight. Immediately following his election, Roy addressed the assembly. “I’m Read more
A funny thing has happened as the story of a recent Vatican crackdown on a legendary monastery in Rome has made its way into the English-language press. I mean that literally — the story has been turned into a joke, thereby obscuring its real significance. For those with eyes to see, the suppression of the Read more
The profound changes, historical, are not always the most spectacular. What just happened this week in Rome is like a palace revolution unimportant but it is highly significant. Because it confirms the direction taken by the papacy of Benedict XVI and the entire Catholic Church. In a word, Rome has “taken over” a whole sector Read more
The 19th General Assembly of Caritas International is taking place in Rome this week and is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the confederation. Over 300 delegates are working on plans to strengthen their service working alongside and on behalf of the poor. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is represented by Director Michael Smith Read more
To celebrate Mothers’ contribution to families Caritas Samoa organised a gathering last week to allow mothers to showcase their work. The gathering was an opportunity for all mothers to make money from their creations, says Caritas’ Communication Officer, Christina Mareko. “The programme started in 2008 and we conducted seminars and training for mothers in the villages,” she Read more
The bloodshed continues in Ivory Coast. Before the capture of Laurent Gbagbo, Archbishop Jean-Pierre Kutwa of Abidjan asked for prayers for his people. Thousands of Abidjan residents have been driven from their homes by bombing and artillery fire. Food, water, and electricity are hard to find, and a humanitarian disaster looms. In February, Caritas Internationalis Read more
There are many things still unclear about why Lesley-Anne Knight, secretary general of Caritas Internationalis, has been unexpectedly prevented from applying for a second term of office. President of Caritas, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez de Maradiaga of Honduras, voiced his “incomprehension” at the decision.
