Caritas Internationalis - Principal Subsidiaries
Principal Subsidiaries
CAFOD (United Kingdom); Caritas Aotearoa (New Zealand); Caritas Australia; Caritas Austria; Caritas Belgium; Caritas Ecuador; Caritas Germany; Caritas Italy; Caritas Mauritania; Caritas Norway; Caritas Switzerland; Caritas Turkey; Catholic Relief Services (United States); Mensen in Nood (Netherlands); Secours Catholique (France); Trocaire (Ireland).
Key Dates:
- 1895:
- The Charitas Comité, a Catholic aid and relief organization, is formed under the leadership of priest Lorenz Werthmann in Freiburg, Germany.
- 1916:
- Charitas is recognized as the single official umbrella organization for the German Catholic church's relief operations.
- 1924:
- The first international Catholic charities conference is held in Lucerne, Switzerland.
- 1947:
- The organization, now known as Caritas Catholica, is endorsed by the Vatican as its official relief representative and relief and development aid organization in contact with the United Nations.
- 1951:
- The structure for the new centralized international Catholic relief and aid organization is established and the first general assembly is held.
- 1957:
- The name Caritas Internationalis is adopted.
- 1965:
- Vatican II is released, calling for Catholic aid efforts led by Caritas Internationalis to adopt a new and broader global focus, regardless of religion or other affiliation.
- 1991:
- In response to Pope John Paul II's call for "Globalizing Solidarity," Caritas Internationalis begins to extend its efforts beyond the provision of relief aid to emerge as a provider of development programs and as a major advocacy group in the political arena.
- 2002:
- Caritas Internationalis launches an effort to reduce corruption among humanitarian assistance operations.
Further Reading
"Caritas," Catholic Insight, June 2004, p. 29.
"Caritas Examines Curbs on Corruption in Humanitarian Aid," America, December 16, 2002.
"Caritas, U.N. AIDS Program Sign Cooperation Agreement," America, June 23, 2003, p. 5.
