Caritas in the world

The activities of Caritas include
all people in need, regardless of their ethnicity,
nationality, religion, social status
and other features

The charitable activities of the Roman Catholic Church were in the beginning carried out in the parishes, later a major role was played by religious orders and congregations. Secular charities emerged in the XIX century.

The foundation of "Caritas" is connected with the publication in 1891 the encyclical "Rerum Novarum" by the Pope Leo XIII, which gave a powerful impetus to the development of social activities by the laity in the Catholic Church. To coordinate their activities, priest Lorenz Werthmann, the secretary of the Archbishop of Freiburg, established in 1897 the first diocesan coordination center in Germany, named "Caritas". Initially, the basic activities of the organization consisted of an aid to Italian migrant workers, called "serving in a spirit of caritas pastoralis ("pastoral charity")".

Later the name "Caritas" was extended to all similar types of service and all organizations of this type, which began to appear elsewhere in other countries. After the Second World War, the national Caritas worked in almost every country in Europe and America. To coordinate their activities, the Vatican has created in 1950 an international confederation "Caritas Internationalis", which is a member of the Conference of International Catholic organizations and the Pontifical Council "Cor unum". It has an Consultative Status with UNESCO and other UN organizations, with the Council of Europe and the Organization of African Unity.

If you’d like to learn more about the work of CARITAS in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America, please visit the website of Caritas Internationalis or websites of national Caritas organizations.

Asia

Africa

Australia

Caritas Aotearoa - New Zealand

Europe

Caritas Shqiptar - Albania

CAFOD - Catholic Fund for Overseas Development - Caritas England and Wales

Caritas Armenia