2015-05-18 16:11:00

Caritas Internationalis concludes general assembly


Caritas Internationalis, the confederation of 164 national Catholic charities worldwide, ended its General Assembly on Sunday with member organizations adopting a vision of putting the human family and human dignity at the heart of the development process.  From May 12 to 17, over 400 Caritas delegates from around the world discussed the theme, ‎“One Human Family, Caring for Creation”‎.  Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, the newly-elected Caritas Internationalis president said, “Pope Francis gave us inspirational words on seeking to expand our work at the beginning of our General Assembly.”  “With the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology and the UN climate meeting in Paris this year, Caritas will work towards putting the human family and human dignity at the heart of development” Cardinal Tagle said.   Regarding the SDGs, the final message adopted by the General Assembly stated that “no target should be considered as met unless achieved for all income and social groups; this fundamental, person-centred strategy must be central”.  The message urged governments to look beyond their own borders and to recognize the moral imperative that is inherent in care for creation.

Caritas delegates also called attention to the plight of Christians who suffer from religious persecution in Syria and Iraq and of migrants and refugees all over the world: “We urge governments to build safe havens and humanitarian corridors, rather than fences, walls or programmes of interdiction at sea.” 

At the CI General Assembly, South Sudan became the newest Caritas member bringing the total membership to 165.   Archbishop Oscar Romero, murdered for standing with the poor in El Salvador,   was adopted as a patron of Caritas Internationalis.  (Source: CI)

 

 








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