:Caritas Internationalis

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum novarum was published, addressing the condition of the working classes.{{cite web |url= https://cacatholic.org/teachings/catholic-social-teaching/rerum-novarum-new-things/ |title= Rerum Novarum (Of New Things) |date= 8 January 2015 |website= California Catholic Conference |access-date= 11 June 2024}} Rerum Novarum is considered a foundational text of modern Catholic social teaching and provides the ideological background for the work of Caritas. In this context, the first Caritas organisations began to be established, with Caritas Germany being the very first, founded by Lorenz Werthmann in 1897 in Freiburg.{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/vor-125-jahren-deutscher-caritas-verband-gegruendet-100.html |title= Von kleinen Einzelinitiativen zum größten Wohlfahrtsverband Deutschlands |author= Matthias Bertsch |date= 9 November 2022 |website= Deutschlandfunk |access-date= 22 June 2024}} In the following years, national Caritas organisations were set up in other countries, including Caritas Switzerland (1901), Caritas Austria (1903), Catholic Charities in the United States (1910) and Caritas Czechoslovakia (1922).{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.merkur.de/welt/caritas-in-deutschland-gruendung-mitglieder-aufgaben-91445254.html |title= Caritas in Deutschland: Gründung, Mitglieder, Aufgaben |date= 30 March 2022 |website= Münchner Merkur |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/about-us/our-history/ |title= Our History| website= Catholic Charities USA |access-date= 22 June 2024}}{{cite web |language= Czech |author=Ilona Tůmová |date= 2016 |title= Dějiny České katolické charity do roku 1960 |location= Prague| url= https://dspace.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/84436/BPTX_2011_2_11210_0_313544_0_124152.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y | publisher= Filozofická Fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze – Katedra pomocných věd historických a archivního studia |page= 20}} The first Caritas at the diocesan level was set up in Strasbourg, which is now part of France but was then part of the German Empire, in 1903.{{cite web |language= French |url= https://www.federation-de-charite.org/histoire/1903-1945 |title= 1903 - 1945 |date= |website= federation-de-charite.org |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |language= French |url= https://metz.catholique.fr/sites-services/caritas/les-origines/ |title= Aux origines de Caritas Moselle |website= metz.catholique.fr |access-date= 11 June 2024}} In 1916, in the context of World War 1, Caritas was recognised as the single official umbrella organisation for the German Catholic church's relief operations. By 1922, all German dioceses had established their own Caritas association.{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.caritas.de/diecaritas/wir-ueber-uns/verbandsgeschichte/125-jahre-caritas/organisation/geschichte-der-caritas-in-deutschland |title= Geschichte der Caritas in Deutschland |date= 11 November 2022 |website= caritas-germany.org |access-date= 22 June 2024}}

File:Fotopersbureau Holland, Afb ANWD00236000002.jpg of 1924 was a catalyst for the cross-border exchange and cooperation between Caritas organisations.]]

In July 1924, during the 27th International Eucharistic Congress in Amsterdam, an international conference on charity was held. This conference saw the participation of delegates from Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Switzerland. The primary objective of the conference was to discuss Catholic charitable activities in various countries. These discussions revealed a plethora of charitable activities occurring, yet without effective cooperation and coordination.Witness and Solidarity, pp. 16-19

As a result, most participants advocated for the establishment of a secretariat for charitable activities within each diocese. This centralised management would aim to consolidate various charitable efforts within a diocese, allowing for national and international collaboration. This network of organisations was subsequently named Caritas Catholica and formally established in 1928, with its headquarters at Caritas Switzerland in Lucerne. Wilhelm Kissling, the director of the Swiss Caritas, was appointed the first General Secretary, while Paul Müller-Sirnonis, the director of Caritas Alsace, became the inaugural president.{{cite web |url= http://www.lonsea.de/pub/org/866 |title= Caritas Catholica |website= League of Nations Search Engine |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |language = French |url= https://www.marienbronn.fr/histoire/images%20Hsitoire%20Fede/histoire-biographie-paul-muller-simonis-jean.pdf |title= Mgr Paul MÜLLER-SIMONIS {{!}} 1862 – 1930 {{!}} Directeur de l'Elsaesser de 1892 à 1918 | author = Jean Hurstel |website= marienbronn.fr |access-date= 11 June 2024}} The secretariat was organised into six specialised sections: youth, knowledge and teaching of charity, aid to the poor and to families, immigration and housing, assistance to the sick, and the fight against alcoholism.

The establishment of Caritas Catholica was reported to the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and the delegates of Caritas Catholica met every two years. Delegations were also present at some international conferences until the outbreak of the Second World War when all activities came to a standstill.

A few national Caritas organisations were set up during or right after the war to provide and coordinate aid for the populations most in need, including the American Catholic Relief Services (1943), the French Secours catholique (1946) and Caritas Japan (1946).{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/organization/crs |title= Catholic Relief Services |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 12 June 2024}}{{cite web |language= French |url= https://www.la-croix.com/Definitions/Lexique/Charite/Qui-crea-le-Secours-Catholique |title= Qui créa le Secours Catholique? |date= 10 November 2009| last= Dubrulle |first= Luc |website= La Croix |access-date= 20 April 2024}}{{cite web |language= Japanese |url= https://www.caritas.jp/history/ |title= 成り立ちと歴史 [Origin and History] |website= caritas.jp |access-date= 2 May 2024}}

The work of Caritas Catholica resumed in 1947, with the approval of the Secretariat of State. Two conferences were convened in Lucerne to help coordinate efforts and collaboration. Caritas was given a further endorsement when the Secretariat of State entrusted it with the official representation of all Catholic welfare organisations at the international level, especially at the United Nations. The Holy Year in 1950 saw the beginning of a union of Caritas organisations.{{cite web |author= Pope John Paul II |url= https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/2004/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20040916_caritas-internationalis.html |title= Letter of John Paul II During the Last Supper to Caritas Internationalis for the Acquisition of a Public, Juridic and Canonical Personality |date= 16 September 2004 |website= vatican.va |access-date= 2 July 2024}} Following a suggestion by Monsignor Montini, then Substitute Secretary of State and later Pope Paul VI, a study week, with participants from 22 countries, was held in Rome to examine the problems of Christian Caritas work. As a result, the decision was made to set up an "International Conference of Catholic Charities".{{cite web |url= https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100032512 |title= Caritas Internationalis (CI) |website= uia.org |access-date= 17 April 2024}}

On {{date|21 October 1951}}, the Holy See approved the statutes of this international organisations ad experimentum and from 12 to 14 December 1951, the constitutive assembly of Caritas Internationalis took place. Founding members came from Caritas organisations in 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.e-helvetica.nb.admin.ch/api/download/urn%3Anbn%3Ach%3Abel-523462%3Adis4396.pdf/dis4396.pdf |title= Eine schwierige Mission: Zur Soziologie caritativer Aktionen in spät modernen Gesellschaften (phd dissertation) |publisher= University of St. Gallen |date= |website= e-helvetica.nb.admin.ch | author= Michelle Bucher | page= 34 | access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web|url=http://www.caritas.org/who-we-are/history/|title=History - Caritas Internationalis|work=Caritas Internationalis|access-date=24 May 2016}}

The first elected officials of the organisation were the Italian Bishop Ferdinando Baldelli, who served as President of Caritas Internationalis until 1962, and the German Carlo Bayer, who remained the Secretary General until 1970.{{cite web |url= https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/organizations/j01.htm |title= Caritas Internationalis {{!}} International Organisation |website= gcatholic.org |access-date= 11 June 2024}} In 1957, the International Conference of Catholic Charities changed its name to Caritas Internationalis to reflect the international presence of Caritas members on every continent.{{cite web |language= Italian |url= https://www.academia.edu/104236580 |title= Fondo Opera Diocesana Assistenza (buste 36; 1945-1968) |date= June 2023 |editor= Andrea Czortek | access-date= 2 July 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/corunum/corunum_en/attivita_en/rc_pc_corunum_doc_20120502_Articolo_Nuovi_Statuti_Caritas_Internationalis_en.html |title= Theological Inspiration of the New Juridical Framework of Caritas Internationalis |date= 2 May 2012 |website= L'Osservatore Romano |author= Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum |access-date= 2 July 2024}}

File:15 Amsterdamse brandweerlieden in Oude Tonge aan het werk, Bestanddeelnr 905-5961.jpg were a major emergency of the 1950s in which Caritas Internationalis coordinated the Catholic relief efforts.]]

Throughout the rest of the 1950s, new national Caritas organisations were founded and joined Caritas Internationalis, including Caritas Hong Kong in 1953,{{cite web |url= https://www.tatlerasia.com/profile/caritas-hong-kong |title= Caritas Hong Kong |website= Tatler Asia |access-date= 22 June 2024}} Caritas Syria in 1954,{{cite web |url= https://darpe.me/implement-entries/caritas-syria/ |title= Caritas Syria |website= Development and Assistance Roadmap Portal in the Middle East |access-date= 22 June 2024}} and Caritas Brazil and Caritas Colombia in 1956.{{cite web |language= Portuguese |url= https://www.tribunadointerior.com.br/campo-mourao/diocese-de-campo-mourao-tera-caritas-uma-instituicao-de-promocao-social/ |author= Valdir Bonete |title= Diocese de Campo Mourão terá Cáritas, uma instituição de promoção social |website= Tribuna do Interior |date= 7 December 2021 |access-date= 22 June 2024}}{{cite web |language=Spanish |url= https://repository.upb.edu.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.11912/924/digital_19611.pdf?sequence=1 |title= fortalecimiento de la planeación estratégica en el Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social SNPS| last= Castillo Cadena | first= Hugo Andrés | date= 2010 |publisher = Pontifical Bolivarian University, School of Engineering and Administration, Faculty of Industrial Engineering Bucaramanga |access-date= 5 May 2024}} At the same time, the French Secours catholique set up antennas in the French colonies in Africa which would later become independent Caritas organisations, such as the current Caritas Burkina Faso, first established in 1956, or the current Caritas Madagascar in 1959.{{cite web |url= https://www.devex.com/organizations/caritas-burkina-faso-organisation-catholique-pour-le-developpement-et-la-solidarite-ocades-120716 |title= Caritas Burkina Faso – Organisation Catholique pour le Développement et la Solidarité (OCADES) |website= Devex |access-date= 2 May 2024}}{{cite web |language= en |url= https://migrants-refugees.va/blog/country-profile/madagascar/ |title= Country Profiles Madagascar |date= March 2022 |website= migrants-refugees.va |access-date= 5 May 2024}} By 1957, Caritas Internationalis had 37 member organisations.Witness and Solidarity, p. 30

Caritas Internationalis coordinated the relief efforts of its members in response to emergencies in Europe, such as the 1953 floods in the Netherlands and Belgium, the 1953 Ionian earthquake, and the displacement of 200,000 Hungarian refugees after the 1956 uprising. In February 1957, Caritas Internationalis established an Emergency Aid Commission. Two years later, the Confederation also took its first steps in advocacy. The economic prosperity that many Western countries experienced highlighted that other parts of the world were still facing hunger and misery. In 1959, at the initiative of Cardinal Joseph Frings, the German bishops decided to launch a joint Lenten campaign to alleviate, hunger, poverty and disease in what was back then called the "Third World". The idea of Lenten campaigns and using the raised funds to implement charitable projects was adopted in many countries and remains a major fundraising tool for many Caritas organisations worldwide.Witness and Solidarity, pp. 27-30

File:Cardenal Silva (headshot).JPG was elected as president of Caritas Internationalis.]]

Caritas collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization on its five-year "Freedom from Hunger" campaign, launched in 1960.{{cite web |url= https://freedomfromhungerproject.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/0/3/25031558/the_freedom_from_hunger_campaign_-_inventing_the_international_development_movement.pdf |title= The Freedom From Hunger Campaign: Inventing the International Development Movement |last= Bunch |first= Matthew |date= |website= freedomfromhungerproject.weebly.com |publisher= |access-date= 22 June 2024}} During its fifth General Assembly in 1960, the confederation called for locally based development aid in addition to emergency aid. The Confederation increasingly prioritized development as more Caritas organisations became development actors within their own countries. Consequently, a dedicated service for this purpose was established in the general secretariat in Rome.Witness and Solidarity, pp. 30-31 In 1962, the Chilean Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez was elected as president of Caritas Internationalis.{{cite web |url= https://kreisky-menschenrechte.org/en/award-ceremony/1-award/ |title= 1979 {{!}} 1st award |website= Bruno Kreisky Foundation for Human Rights |access-date= 22 June 2024}}

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) opened up the Church to the modern world. It emphasized the value of the work done by laypeople, called for dialogue with other religions, and urged Christians to promote the development of poorer regions and social justice among nations. In 1967, Pope Paul VI published Populorum progressio, an encyclical on the topic of "the development of peoples" which would become a foundational text for the work of Caritas Internationalis and its members. It prompted Catholic charities such as Caritas to contemplate their role within the Church and the contemporary world, reinforcing the notion that social action should be grounded in serving those most in need and that initiatives should be developed collaboratively with the communities.{{cite web |url= https://www.cidse.org/2017/03/23/50-years-ago-populorum-progressio-set-the-course-for-people-led-development/ |title= 50 years ago, Populorum Progressio set the course for people-led development |date= 23 March 2017 |website= CIDSE |access-date= 22 June 2024}}

That same year, CIDSE was established to coordinate the tasks identified by the Second Vatican Council as priorities for the Church, such as caring for the poor and oppressed and focusing on global justice. Since then, there has been close cooperation between Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE, with some Caritas member organisations also belonging to CIDSE.

Emergency relief efforts and coordination continued in the 1960s, including reconstruction after the 1962 Buin Zahra earthquake and the 1963 Skopje earthquake, as well as hunger and relief campaign after repeated famines in India and Pakistan. Caritas was a major humanitarian actor during the Biafran War (1967-1970){{cite journal |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333668511 |title= The German Churches and the Airlift to Biafra |author= Nicholas Ibeawuchi Omenka |journal= ABSU Journal of Arts, Management, Education, Law and Social Sciences |date= 2011 |volume= 1 |issue= 1|pages= 1–17 |doi= |access-date= 2 July 2024}}{{cite journal |last1= Nwaka |first1= Jacinta C. |date= February 2015 |title= Reactions of the Governments of Nigeria and Biafra to the Role of the Catholic Church in the Nigeria–Biafra War |url= https://melanimcalister.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Reactions-of-the-Governments-of-Nigeria-and-Biafra-to-the-Role-of-the-Catholic-Church.pdf |journal= War & Society |volume= 34 |issue= 1 |pages= 65–83 |doi= 10.1179/0729247314Z.00000000047|access-date= 2 July 2024}} and Caritas Jerusalem was founded to coordinate the Catholic relief efforts after the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.{{cite web |language= French |url= https://fondationjeanrodhain.org/jean-rodhain-textes-de-jean-rodhain/1967/un-appel-une-enquete-des-secours |title= Un appel… Une enquête… Des secours… |date= 30 August 2017 |website= fondationjeanrodhain.org |access-date= 5 May 2024}}{{cite web |language= French |url= https://www.cath.ch/newsf/jerusalem-selon-la-caritas-les-palestiniens-souffrent-de-la-pauvrete-et-du-chomage/ |title= Une catastrophe humanitaire sans précédent |date= 4 October 2004 |website= cath.ch |access-date= 5 May 2024}}

In 1969, following the International Year of Human Rights (1968), the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis adopted a "Declaration on the Rights of Developing Nations". It supported the fundamental principled of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.Witness and Solidarity, p. 50 This marked the beginning of Caritas Internationalis adopting a more outward-facing advocacy approach, involving closer cooperation and engagement on the global stage through its UN delegations.

On {{date|19 July 1976}}, at the initiative of Pope Paul VI, Caritas Internationalis was granted civil juridical personality by the Vatican City State.

The seven regions that currently form the Caritas confederation were established in the 1970s to enhance its effectiveness and unity. Regional assemblies were created and held during the General Assemblies of the confederation. Their primary task was to develop regional work plans, elect regional presidents, and appoint commissions to support the overall work of the Caritas Internationalis general secretariat. This structure aimed to foster increased cooperation among organisations within the same region, ensuring a more cohesive and impactful approach to their humanitarian missions.Witness and Solidarity, pp. 63-64 Additionally, the first common manual on how to implement disaster aid was adopted in 1979.Witness and Solidarity, p. 65

File:CONALEP CENTRO. FRENTE AL CINEMEX PALACIO CHINO.jpg.]]

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Confederation responded to a series of global humanitarian emergencies, including droughts in the Sahel,{{cite journal |date= 1973 |title= Sahel : voué à la famine? |url= https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=acf-002%3A1973%3A82%3A%3A360 |journal= La Croix-Rouge Suisse |volume= 82 |issue= 7 |pages= 10–11 |doi= |access-date=}}{{cite journal |language= French |last1= Bonnecase |first1= Vincent |date= 2010 |title= Retour sur la famine au Sahel du début des années 1970 : la construction d'un savoir de crise |url= https://www.cairn.info/revue-politique-africaine-2010-3-page-23.htm#no57 |journal= Politique Africaine |volume= 119 |issue= Politique africaine |pages= 23–42 |doi= 10.3917/polaf.119.0023|access-date= 2 July 2024}} the influx of Vietnamese refugees arriving in Hong Kong starting in 1982,{{cite web |url= https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1985/06/26/caritashong-kong-decides-to-stop-managing-vietnam-refugee-camp&post_id=33121 |title= Caritas-Hong Kong Decides To Stop Managing Vietnam Refugee Camp |date= 25 June 1985 |website= Union of Catholic Asian News |access-date= 2 July 2024}} the 1985 Mexico City earthquake,{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/mexico/mexico-earthquake-sep-1985-undro-situation-reports-1-11 |title= Mexico: Earthquake Sep 1985 UNDRO Situation Reports 1 - 11 |date= 19 September 1985 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 2 July 2024}} the humanitarian emergency during the First Gulf War (1980-1988), the 1988 Bangladesh cyclone, and the extreme winter conditions in Europe at the end of the 1980s.Witness and Solidarity, p. 82

Caritas Lebanon became a major humanitarian actor during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).{{cite web |url= https://caritas.org.lb/our-history/ |title= Our History |website= caritas.org.lb |access-date= 26 April 2024}} Together with the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches, Caritas Internationalis formed the Churches Drought Action for Africa, later renamed Joint Relief Programme, to respond to the communities affected by the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia and later the victims of violence and hunger during the Eritrean War of Independence in the early 1990s.{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopia-drought-apr-1984-undro-situation-reports-9-17 |title= Ethiopia Drought Apr 1984 UNDRO Situation Reports 9 - 17 |date= 3 April 1984 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 2 July 2024}}{{cite journal |last1= Borton |first1= John |date= May 1994 |title= The Changing Roles of NGOs in the Provision of Relief and Rehabilitation Assistance: Case Study 3 - Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea |url= https://media.odi.org/documents/6990.pdf |journal= Overseas Development Institute |volume= |issue= |pages= 78–82 |doi= |access-date= 2 July 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=SLR19841116-01.2.13&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------- |title= Pope John Pauls asks for Assistance for Ethiopia |date= 16 November 1984 |website= The St. Louis Review, Volume 33, Number 45 |access-date= 2 July 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAH005.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220212224417/https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAH005.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 12, 2022 |title= Disaster Case Report: Ethiopia - Drought/Famine |date= |website= Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance |access-date= 2 July 2024}}

In terms of advocacy, Caritas Internationalis focused on promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Notably, the organisation participated in United Nations sessions aimed at assessing and implementing recommendations from the International Year of Disabled Persons (1981). Another significant area of focus was the promotion of women's participation in programmes. Caritas Internationalis played an active role in the 1980 World Conference on Women and, in 1983, Caritas Latin America organised a dedicated event in Panama focusing on the role of women in development.Witness and Solidarity, p. 87

In 1983, the Angolan Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento succeeded the German priest Georg Hüssler as President of Caritas Internationalis.

The 1990s and were marked by numerous humanitarian crises to which the Caritas confederation responded, including the Bosnian War (1991-1995),{{cite journal |last1= Cutts |first1= Mark| date= May 1999 |title= Working Paper No. 8 {{!}} The humanitarian operation in Bosnia, 1992-95: dilemmas of negotiating humanitarian access |url= https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/legacy-pdf/3ae6a0c58.pdf |journal= Policy Research Unit, UNHCR |issn= 1020-7473 |access-date= 2 July 2024}} the famine in Somalia (1992,Viénot, La justice dans la peau, p. 357 the Rwandan Genocide (1994) and the subsequent Great Lakes refugee crisis (1994-1996) and First Congo War (1996-1997),{{cite journal |language= French |last1= Bris |first1= Mathilde |date= 2017 |title= Réévangéliser par l'humanitaire ? ONG chrétiennes et génocide des Tutsi rwandais en 1994 |url= https://www.cairn.info/revue-bulletin-de-l-institut-pierre-renouvin-2017-1-page-111.htm |journal= Bulletin de l'Institut Pierre Renouvin |volume= 45 |issue= 1 |pages= 111–123 |doi= 10.3917/bipr1.045.0111|access-date= 2 July 2024}} as well as the Kosovo War (1998-1999){{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/serbia/caritas-information-activities-kosovo |title= CARITAS information on activities in Kosovo |date= 19 August 1999 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 2 July 2024}}

When the War in Darfur began in 2003, the British Caritas member CAFOD took the lead in coordinating the confederation's cooperation with Action by Churches Together. This joint initiative was known as the Darfur Emergency Response Operation (DERO).{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-act-caritas-appeal-darfur-emergency-response-operation-dero-afsd73-soa-272006 |title= Sudan: ACT-Caritas Appeal - Darfur Emergency Response Operation (DERO) AFSD73 -SOA 27/2006 |date= 14 December 2006 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 3 July 2024}}{{cite web | author= John Borton, Erik Johnson, Anne Masterson |url= https://odihpn.org/publication/lessons-from-an-ecumenical-humanitarian-consortium-the-actcaritas-darfur-emergency-response-operation/ |title= Lessons from an ecumenical humanitarian consortium: the ACT/Caritas Darfur emergency response operation |date= 21 November 2006 |website= Humanitarian Practice Network |access-date= 3 July 2024}} Caritas Internationalis also coordinated the confederation's response after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with Caritas Iraq being one of the few humanitarian organisations operational in the country.{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/caritas-internationalis-appeals-85-million-dollars-aid-iraqi-people |title= Caritas Internationalis appeals for 8.5 million dollars to aid Iraqi people |date= 7 April 2003 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 2 July 2024}}

In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Caritas Internationalis raised around {{currency|450000000|USD}} for the initial emergency phase and the long-term recovery phase implemented by Caritas organisations in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries. The latter phase included construction of earthquake-resistant houses and community infrastructure, job creation, and social assistance.{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/india/caritas-look-long-term-strategy-rebuild-lives-four-tsunami-countries |title= Caritas to look at long-term strategy to rebuild lives in four tsunami countries |date= 5 September 2005 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 11 June 2024}} After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Caritas Internationalis and its member organisations provided humanitarian relief and rehabilitation support to over 1.5 million Haitians, using a budget of {{currency|176000000|USD}}.{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/caritas-looking-long-term-recovery-haiti |title= Caritas looking to long-term recovery in Haiti |date= 22 October 2010 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 11 June 2024}}

When the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, Caritas Syria, Caritas Lebanon, and Caritas Jordan were the three Caritas agencies providing the largest response in support of the internally-displaced persons and the refugees. Two years later, Caritas Internationalis member organisations responded to the Western African Ebola virus epidemic in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia,{{cite web |url= https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20141127_emergenza-ebola_en.html |title= Expanding the Catholic Church's Commitment to the Ebola Emergency Response | date= 27 November 2014 |website= Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace |access-date= 3 July 2024}} and when Typhoon Haiyan devastated large parts of the country in November 2013, Caritas Philippines organised large-scale relief and reconstruction efforts and Caritas Bangladesh has been heavily involved in the support to the Rohingya refugees arriving from Myanmar in 2017. Caritas Lebanon was faced with an additional emergency when the 2020 Beirut explosion destroyed large parts of the city, and Caritas Congo has been a major humanitarian actor in the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades.

File:Passeada de abertura do Forum Social Mundial de 2003.jpg (here pictured in 2003 in Porto Alegre).]]

Nonetheless, Caritas also continued its work as social service provider and development actor around the world. For example Caritas Hong Kong, greatly expanded its educational and healthcare services.{{cite web |url= https://www.caritas.org.hk/en/about/milestone/ |title= Caritas Hong Kong Milestones |website= caritas.org.hk |access-date= 3 July 2024}} In Iraq, Caritas Iraq assisted more than 250,000 persons with food programmes alone and between 1995 and 2000.{{cite web |url= https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/people-sacrificed-sanctions-against-iraq-report-caritas-europa |title= A People Sacrificed: Sanctions against Iraq, a report by Caritas Europa |date= 28 February 2001 |website= ReliefWeb |access-date= 2 July 2024}} Caritas Austria expanded its support to children, people with disabilities, refugees, the homeless, the elderly, young mothers, people suffering from addictions, and the long-term unemployed.{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.caritas-salzburg.at/ueber-uns/ueber-uns/geschichte |title= Geschichte der Caritas Salzburg |website= caritas-salzburg.at |access-date= 3 July 2024}}

Simultaneously, a new global crisis emerged with the spreading of HIV/AIDS. In 1999, Caritas Internationalis signed a memorandum of understanding with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, agreeing to collaborating in raising awareness about the virus and caring for those affected.{{cite web |url= https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/AdvisoryCom/RightToFood/CaritasInternationalis.doc |title= Contribution by Caritas Internationalis to the Preliminary Study of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on Rural Women and the Right to Food |date= 2009 |website= UN Human Rights Office |access-date= 2 July 2024}}

In the late 1990s, Caritas also focused on peacebuilding, notably in Colombia where Caritas Colombia started implementing peacebuilding projects and became involved in truth and reconciliation initiatives. In 2000, it convened the first National Congress of Reconciliation.{{cite web |language=Spanish|url= https://caritascolombiana.org/inicia-celebracion-aniversario-60-anos-caritas-colombiana/ |title= Breve recorrido histórico de Cáritas Colombiana, en sus 60 años de servicio solidario |date= 20 September 2016 |website= caritascolombiana.org |access-date= 5 May 2024}}

In the 2000s, Caritas became involved in the World Social Forum,{{cite journal |last1= Rousset |first1= Pierre |date= 29 November 2009 |title= The World Social Forum, a sustainable model? |url= https://internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1760 |journal= International Viewpoint Magazine |volume= 418 |issue= November 2009 |access-date= 2 July 2024 }} with 450 delegates from around 40 Caritas organisations participating in the Porto Alegre summit in 2003.Viénot, La justice dans la peau, p. 170

On {{date|16 September 2004}}, Pope John Paul II granted public, juridical, and canonical personality to Caritas Internationalis, recognizing its formal status within the Church and its ability to operate with a greater degree of autonomy and authority. He also entrusted the task of "supervising and guiding the activity of Caritas Internationalis" to the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

Caritas Internationalis launched its "HAART for Children" advocacy campaign in 2009, calling on governments and pharmaceutical companies to develop and provide child-friendly HIV and tuberculosis medicine.{{cite web |url= https://www.caritas.org/what-we-do/health-hiv/haart-for-children/ |title= HAART for Children |website= caritas.org |access-date= 3 July 2024}} In November 2012, Pope Benedict XVI published the motu proprio Intima Ecclesiae natura, which focuses on the principles and guidelines for the charitable activities of the Catholic Church, which explicitly asks of the bishops to "encourage in every parish of his territory the creation of a local Caritas service or a similar body".{{cite web |url= https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20121111_caritas.html |title= Apostolic letter issued 'motu proprio' "On the Service of Charity" |author= Pope Benedict XVI |date= 11 November 2012 |website= vatican.va |access-date= 14 July 2024}}

In May 2019, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development became the new Vatican body overseeing the work of the Caritas Internationalis, following the integration of the previous oversight body, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, into the Dicastery in 2017.{{cite web |url= https://www.ncronline.org/news/dicastery-human-development-oversee-caritas-internationalis |author= Carol Glatz |title= Dicastery for human development to oversee Caritas Internationalis |date= 31 May 2019 |website= The National Catholic Reporter |access-date= 2 July 2024}}

In November 2019, CNN reported that the Director of Caritas Central African Republic, a Belgian Salesian priest, had been convicted in Belgium in 2012 for child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography. CNN also identified two children in the Central African Republic who were allegedly abused by the priest.{{cite web |url= https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/11/africa/luk-delft-intl/ |title= Luk Delft: The case of the predator priest |date= 21 November 2019 |website= CNN |access-date= 11 June 2024}} Following this report, the UN temporarily suspended its work with Caritas Central African Republic. Caritas Internationalis issues an apology, stating that it was "saddened and outraged" by the allegations of abuse and said it was working to improve its safeguarding policies towards children.{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50524589 |title= UN suspends ties after CAR charity head identified as Belgian paedophile |date= 23 November 2019 |website= BBC |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://international.la-croix.com/news/world/caritas-central-africa-official-accused-of-abusing-children/11313 |title= Caritas Central Africa official accused of abusing children |author= Laurent Larcher |date= 21 November 2019 |website= La Croix International |access-date= 11 June 2024}}

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Caritas in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries implemented a large-scale response to support the internally displaced persons and refugees from Ukraine. In the first two years of the conflict, Caritas Ukraine and Caritas-Spes alone provided humanitarian aid to more than 3.8 million people in Ukraine.{{cite web |url= https://catholicreview.org/caritas-starts-developing-long-term-aid-program-in-ukraine/ |title= Caritas starts developing long-term aid program in Ukraine |date= 23 February 2024 |author= Justin McLellan and the Catholic News Service |website= The Catholic Review |access-date= 11 June 2024}}

File:Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi 2018.jpg was elected as president of Caritas Internatiuonalis in 2023.]]

In November 2022, Pope Francis removed the secretary general and the entire leadership and governance team of Caritas Internationalis following an external investigation that uncovered significant management deficiencies impacting staff morale at the Caritas secretariat in Rome. An organisational consultant was appointed as a temporary administrator until elections were held for a new secretary-general in May 2023.{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.katholisch.de/artikel/42211-papst-franziskus-raeumt-in-der-caritas-weltzentrale-auf |title= Papst Franziskus räumt in der Caritas-Weltzentrale auf |date= 24 November 2022 |author= Roland Juchem|website= katholisch.de |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |language= German |url= https://www.domradio.de/artikel/papst-entmachtet-leitung-von-caritas-internationalis |title= Papst entmachtet Leitung von Caritas internationalis {{!}} "Effektivität verbessern" |author= Anna Mertens |date= 22 November 2022 |website= domradio.de |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-religion-philanthropy-dd48a5818e58a1c416b27b57925b895a |title= Pope ousts leadership of Caritas Internationalis charity |date= 22 November 2022 |author= Nicole Winfield |website= Associated Press |access-date= 11 June 2024}} These elections resulted in Alistair Dutton, previously the executive director of SCIAF (Caritas Scotland), winning the position of Secretary-General, and Archbishop of Tokyo Msgr. Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi being elected as President.{{cite web |url= https://cruxnow.com/church/2023/05/new-caritas-leader-issues-call-to-walk-and-work-together |title= New Caritas leader issues call to 'walk and work together' |date= 15 May 2023 |author= Nirmala Carvalho |website= Crux |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/ousted-caritas-chief-denounces-vatican-power-grab |title= Ousted Caritas chief denounces Vatican 'power grab' |author= Nicole Winfield |date= 9 May 2023 |website= National Catholic Reporter |access-date= 11 June 2024}}{{cite web |url= https://thetablet.org/new-caritas-leaders-vow-to-respect-employees-as-they-move-forward/ |author= Cindy Wooden |title= New Caritas Leaders Vow To Respect Employees As They Move Forward |date= 16 May 2023 |website= The Tablet |access-date= 11 June 2024}}

Caritas Internationalis is a global confederation composed of national Caritas organisations from each country. As of 2024, the confederation has 162 members working in over 200 countries and territories. It is coordinated by a general secretariat located in the Palazzo San Callisto in Rome. The members are local faith-based organisation, usually established by the episcopal conferences in each country, fulfilling the social mission of the Catholic Church. While all member organisations are fully autonomous, they share the same mission and values. Therefore, the Caritas Internationalis secretariat does not wield direct authority over its members, such as the power to appoint or dismiss staff or impose programmes.{{cite news |url= https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-23/vatican-caritas-internationalis-charity-africa-sex-abuse |title= Vatican charity knew in 2017 of pedophilia concerns about Central African Republic director |date= 23 November 2019 |newspaper= LA Times |access-date= 11 June 2024}} Caritas operates according to the principle of subsidiarity. This also explains why the member organisations of Caritas Internationalis are only the national Caritas organisations. In most countries, the national Caritas is itself a federation of multiple Caritas organisations at diocesan level, which in turn can be further subdivided into different parish Caritas organisations.

The confederation is divided into seven regions: Caritas Africa (with a secretariat based in Lomé, Togo), Caritas Asia (Bangkok, Thailand), Caritas Europa (Brussels, Belgium), Caritas Middle East and North Africa (Beirut, Lebanon), Caritas North America (with a decentralised secretriat), Caritas Oceania (with a decentralised secretariat), and Caritas Latin America and Caribbean (San José, Costa Rica).

Some member organisations of Caritas Internationalis focus solely on domestic social welfare, such as Caritas Moldova{{cite web |url= https://spherestandards.org/focal-points/caritas-moldova/ |title= Caritas Moldova |date= |website= spherestandards.org |access-date= 19 April 2024}} or Caritas Singapore, while others, particularly in the Western world, operate internationally, like Cordaid from the Netherlands or Trócaire from Ireland, which specialize in international development and humanitarian aid. Caritas Spain, Caritas Poland, and Caritas Luxembourg engage in both domestic and international activities. Caritas Australia primarily operates as an international humanitarian and development actor abroad but also supports Indigenous Australians locally,{{cite web |url= https://catholicoutlook.org/caritas-australia-and-kinchela-boys-home-aboriginal-corporation-call-on-government-to-close-the-gap-for-first-australians/ |title= Caritas Australia and Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation call on government to close the gap for First Australians |date= 12 June 2022 |website= catholicoutlook.org |access-date= 29 April 2024}} while Caritas Japan focuses mainly on domestic operations while financially assisting relief efforts of other confederation members globally.{{cite web |url= https://www.caritas.jp/2024/04/01/6924/ |title= 2023年度年次報告書 [2023 Annual Report] |date= 1 April 2024 |website= caritas.jp |access-date= 2 May 2024}}

The size of Caritas organisations varies widely from small volunteer-run entities to some of the largest civil society organisations in their respective countries. For instance, American Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of the largest international humanitarian NGOs globally, reporting a revenue of $923 million USD in 2020.{{cite web|title=Catholic Relief Services 2020 Annual Report|url=https://annualreport.crs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/21MK-320943-FY2020-Annual-Report_Digital_Final.pdf|website=Catholic Relief Services|access-date=December 13, 2020}} Caritas Germany is the largest welfare organisation and private employer in Germany, with almost 700,000 employees. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Caritas Congo fills gaps in essential services where the State is absent and provides 41% of all education services.{{cite web |url= https://www.educationaboveall.org/our-partners/caritas-congo |title= Caritas Congo |website= educationaboveall.org |access-date= 3 July 2024}}

Many Caritas organisations engaged in international cooperation and humanitarian relief outside their home countries operate as partnership organisations, practising localisation. This approach entails supporting local partners, typically local Caritas organisations, in implementing programs. Examples include Caritas Portugal, Development and Peace (Caritas Canada), and Caritas Denmark.{{cite web |url= https://charter4change.org/signatories/ |title= Signatories |website= charter4change.org |access-date= 26 April 2024}} Others, such as CRS, Caritas Czech Republic, and Caritas Switzerland, establish offices in third countries to directly manage humanitarian and development projects.{{cite web |url= https://svet.charita.cz/en/where-we-operate/ |title= Where we operate |website= Caritas Czech Republic {{!}} Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation |access-date= 3 July 2024}}{{cite web |language= French |url= https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/10440395-caritas-suisse-se-retire-de-cinq-pays-apres-les-coupes-europeennes.html |title= Caritas Suisse se retire de cinq pays après les coupes européennes |date= 17 May 2019 |website= rts.ch |publisher= Radio Télévision Suisse |access-date= 21 April 2024}}

File:Caritas Africa Office Sign - Lomé - 2024.jpg.]]

File:Berlin st norbert 05.02.2015 13-24-14.JPG.]]

File:Caritas Shqiptar (Albania) Headquarters in Tirana 2022.jpg in Tirana.]]

File:St. Nicholas Orphanage.jpg, established by Caritas in Novosibirsk, Russia.]]

File:Caritas Liban-Lebanon HQ in Beirut.jpg in Beirut.]]

File:Armenian Caritas headquarters in Gyumri.jpg in Gyumri.]]

File:DSCN2287.JPG, Mid-levels, Hong Kong]]

The full membership list of Caritas organisations includes:{{cite web |url= https://www.caritas.org/where-caritas-work/ |title= Where we work |website= caritas.org |access-date= 14 May 2024}}

The successive presidents of Caritas Internationalis have been:

{{div col|colwidth=10em|gap=2em|style=column-count:2|content=

• 1951-1962: Bishop Ferdinando Baldelli
• 1962-1965: Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez
• 1965-1972: Msgr. Jean Rodhain
• 1972-1974: Msgr. Carl Vath
• 1974-1975: Archbishop Aloísio Lorscheider
• 1975-1983: Msgr. Georg Hüssler
• 1983-1991: Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento
• 1991-1999: Bishop Affonso Felippe Gregory
• 1999-2005: Archbishop Youhanna Fouad El-Hage
• 2005-2007: Mr. Denis Viénot
• 2007-2015: Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga
• 2015-2022: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
• 2023-present: Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi

}}

The incomplete list of secretaries-general of Caritas Internationalis includes:

{{div col|colwidth=10em|gap=2em|style=column-count:2|content=

• 1951-1970: Msgr. Carlo Bayer
• ?
• ?-1983: Emilio FracchiaViénot, La justice dans la peau, p. 205
• 1983-1995: Gerhard Meier
• ?
• 1999-2007: Mr. Duncan MacLaren
• 2007-2011: Ms. Lesley-Anne Knight
• 2011-2019: Mr. Michel Roy
• 2019-2022: Mr. Aloysius John
• 2022-2023: Mr. Pier Francesco Pinelli {{small|(Temporary Administrator)}}
• 2023-present: Mr. Alistair Dutton

}}

• Christian humanitarian aid
• Catholic social teaching
• Church asylum
• Fidesco International
• Catholic Relief Services

• {{cite book |author= |date= 2018 |title= Moved With Compassion - The History of Caritas Europa - Festschrift on the Occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Caritas Europa's Statutes 1993-2018 |url= |location= |publisher= Jorge Nuño Mayer | isbn= 978-972-9008-55-9}}
• {{cite book |author= Matthias Schmidhalter |date= May 2007 |title= The History of Caritas Internationalis |url= |location= Vatican |publisher= Caritas Internationalis}}
• {{cite book |author= |date= 2022 |title= Witness and Solidarity: 70 Years of Caritas Internationalis |url= |location= Vatican City | publisher= General Secretariat of Caritas Internationalis | isbn= 979-12-210-0838-8}}
• {{cite book |language= French |last= Viénot| first= Denis |author-link= |date= 2010 |title= La justice dans la peau - Géopolitique de l'action humanitaire |url= https://www.caritas.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/La-justice-dans-la-peau.pdf |location= Paris|publisher= Éditions Desclée de Brouwer |isbn= 978-2-220-06195-5}}

{{Reflist|3}}

• [https://www.caritas.org/ Caritas Internationalis]
• [https://www.odis.be/hercules/toonOrg.php?taalcode=en&id=7786 Caritas Catholica Belgica] in [https://www.odis.eu ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428134547/https://www.odis.eu/ |date=2016-04-28 }}
• [https://www.odis.be/hercules/toonAE.php?taalcode=en&id=132 Archives of Caritas Catholica Belgica] in [https://www.odis.eu ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428134547/https://www.odis.eu/ |date=2016-04-28 }}
• [https://www.odis.be/hercules/toonAE.php?taalcode=en&id=1116 Archives of Caritas Catholica Flanders] in [https://www.odis.eu ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428134547/https://www.odis.eu/ |date=2016-04-28 }}

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