Caritas Internationalis - Global Advocate in the New Century

Global Advocate in the New Century

A turning point in Caritas's history came in the early 1960s, with the release in 1965 of Vatican II. In addition to sweeping reforms within the Catholic Church itself, Vatican II also called for Catholic aid efforts—led by Caritas Internationalis—to adopt a new and broader global focus. As a result, Caritas's relief operations no longer targeted especially the world's Catholic and Christian populations, but instead sought to extend its efforts toward the world's poor and needy, regardless of religion or other affiliation.

Vatican II signaled the creation of a new round of Caritas members, as Catholic relief services extended into new areas of the world. An example of this new expansion came in Pakistan, at the signing of Vatican II in 1965, with a first donation from the Vatican toward the establishment of a wing of Caritas in that country. Caritas Pakistan opened its doors in Lahore in 1966 under the leadership of Rev. Marcel Roger.

Company Perspectives:

Guiding Values: The guiding values and principles provide the moral and strategic basis for all the work of the Caritas Confederation. Dignity of the human person: The dignity of the human person is our foundational moral value. We reject the reification of the poor and seek to make them not objects of our pity but subjects of their own development and agents of change. In this way, Caritas makes God's love for creation manifest in the world. Option for the poor: The Caritas Confederation commits itself to combating dehumanising poverty, which robs people of their dignity and humanity, and to promoting the rights of the poor. We commit ourselves to restoring their sense of co-responsibility in building a better world. We also need to underline the position of women, recognising that they have to be given their rightful place in Caritas structures. Universal destination of the Earth's goods: Any economic, social, political or cultural structure which opposes or oppresses and prevents change towards justice is sinful. We seek to encourage our membership to redress the balance by working to transform these structures into graced social structures which favour the poor. Solidarity: The Caritas Confederation seeks to inculcate in its membership and its dealings with other non-governmental organisations and global institutions a genuine sense of solidarity, not as a feeling of sympathy but of empathy, of putting oneself in the shoes of the poor and seeing the world from their perspective. Stewardship: The Caritas Confederation commits itself to being in solidarity not only with people but with the whole of creation and therefore seeks to act in an environmentally sustainable way at all times.

In other parts of the world, Vatican II inspired existing Catholic aid organizations to expand their range of operations beyond their domestic borders. Such was the case in Australia, which saw the creation of the Catholic Overseas Relief Committee in 1964. Similarly in 1966, Bishop Delargy of New Zealand was placed in charge of forming that country's National Commission on Missions and Overseas Aid. This in turn led to the creation of NZ Catholic Overseas Aid in 1969, which in 1998 changed its name to Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. By then, too, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales had established the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, or CAFOD.

An important step toward the development of Caritas Internationalis's later structure was the creation of Caritas Europe. That organization grouped together the operations of some 48 European members in 44 European countries. The creation of regional organizations, such as Caritas Europe, permitted Caritas Internationalis to respond still more efficiently to issues surrounding local and regional populations. By the end of the century, Caritas Internationalis oversaw the functioning of seven regional organizations.

By the beginning of the 21st century, Caritas Internationalis had become a central player in international relief and development efforts. Caritas also had extended its range of interests beyond the mere provision of relief aid. The organization had become a major provider of development programs. At the same time, Caritas Internationalis put its scope and scale into play, responding to Pope John Paul II's call, in 1991, for what was termed as "Globalizing Solidarity." Since then, Caritas International has emerged as a major advocacy group, applying pressure to affect local, national, and international politics.

In 2002, Caritas Internationalis launched an effort to reduce the level of corruption among humanitarian assistance operations—including its own—estimated to result in the loss of as much as 30 percent of public aid expenses. At the end of 2002, Caritas organized a conference toward the drafting of international guidelines countering corruption among its member operations.

In 2003, Caritas's advocacy interests led it to create a series of working groups and task forces focused on specific issues facing the organization's global operations. In this way, Caritas began to put into place a centrally coordinated lobbying position as well. Caritas Internationalis had evolved from a single organization to a globally operating association representing more than 162 Catholic relief, development, and social aid services throughout the world.