Caritas Internationalis is an international network of benevolent organizations belonging to the Catholic Church that supports and fosters the culture of charity and social work (Stuart, 2011). The organization is exclusively influenced by the respect for human nobility, giving a helping hand to the needy to enable them to overcome challenging situations and also becoming full members of society (Caritas, 2013). The connotation of the word Caritas incorporates love, mercy, sympathy and charity.
The caritas organization has the following core values; maintain human dignity. Poor people are seen as noble human beings and not hopeless objects of pity. Caritas works with them so as to build a better future for them. Uphold justice, by challenging the social, economic, cultural and political systems that have been set up which go against the existence of a just society. Foster solidarity, by strengthening ties with the poor and seeing the world in their eyes. Practicing stewardship, where environmental conservation is of utmost importance based on the belief that the earth and all its resources are entrusted to human kind (Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 2013).
The organization has six basic areas that it focuses on ensuring emergency response, peace building and sustainable development as its goals (Caritas, 2013). They are: peace and reconciliation, which involves mending bridges between, divided communities at the grassroots, nationally and worldwide. Fight for economic justice by challenging the world’s wealthiest governments to live up on their promises of aid and trade since they fail the world’s poorest people. Respond to emergencies that arise due to natural calamities and war torn countries. Caritas is known for being present during and after a disaster. Advocating against climate change which desecrates communities living in areas where Caritas works, and greatly affects the poor people. Caritas activeness on the war against HIV & AIDS is evident by the fact that they provide 25% of HIV care in Africa which happens to be the worst hit continent (Thomas & Kathryn, 2007). Last but not least, Caritas is concerned about women and migration, and campaigns for equal rights for women who migrate from their home country due to obscene inequality.
Caritas cares for people all over the world in many ways. They aid in providing education through sponsorships, food, shelter, clothing, an income for families, water, and a sustainable environment for citizens of unfortunate countries. All this is achieved through the various endeavours the organization has all over the globe. Examples are Caritas Karaoke, project compassion, Have a HAART campaign for children with aids, and donations just to name a few. Disaster response is an area where Caritas is renowned for. Whenever a disaster happens, Caritas shows up in a short time to give aid and restore the destabilized region.
Caritas is a worldwide confederation of 165 Catholic organizations working in humanitarian emergencies and global development. It has permanent residence in majority of the world’s nations with its headquarters in Rome from where coordination regarding emergency responses and formulation of policies takes place. Caritas is located in seven regions: North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa and Oceania.
The organizations activities are mainly funded by donations from well wishers. There are a limited number of volunteers frequently in senior or advisory positions. Job positions are advertised by member countries on their own websites.
Caritas was founded by Lorenz Worthmann in 1897, in Germany. The initial plan for the organization was to respond to disasters with funding which has now grown to self sustainability and long-term development. It has grown to become one of the largest aid development agencies globally. The foundation for an international network was laid in the 20th century by Giovanni Battista Montini, who was later named Pope Paul VI (André & Cristian, 2010).
The social justice themes that relate to Caritas include life and dignity of the human person exhibited by the desire to work with the less fortunate in society and assisting them to overcome trials, rights and responsibilities (Ted, 2005). This is seen in the organization’s endeavor to advocate for equality among men and women, option for the poor and the vulnerable through challenging rich countries to honor pledges made for aid to poor nations and caring for God’s creation by creating awareness among individuals on the need to care for the environment. The organization believes the earth and everything in it was given to man to steward, enhancing solidarity among the human race and especially between the rich and the poor by empathizing with them.
Caritas plays an active role in creating a world where the human dignity is recognized and supported. The themes of social justice highlight the need to identify instances of human injustices and oppression, reflect upon, pray about and act upon them (Collen, George & James, 2006).
References
André, H. and Cristian, A. (2010). Seasoning business knowledge: challenging recent Catholic social though. Journal of Management Development, 29(7/8), 660 – 668.
Caritas. (2013). About Caritas. Caritas. Retrieved from http://www.caritas.org/index.html
Colleen, A., George, T. and James, S. (2006). Toward a framework for preparing leaders for social justice. Journal of Educational Administration, 44(3), 209 – 224.
Stuart, H. (2011). New Catholic Encyclopedia. Supplement 2010. Reference Reviews, 25(4), 15 – 17.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul (2013). Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Retrieved from http://www.svdpattleboro.org/SocialJustice/SJthemes.html
Thomas, L. and Kathryn, S. (2007). Superintendent Perspectives and Practice of Accountability, Democratic voice and social justice. Journal of Educational Administration, 45(2), 154 – 174.
Ted, T. (2005). Social responsibility: The most important, and neglected, problem of all? International Journal of Social Economics, 32(8), 682 – 703.
