Severe flooding in the Solomon Islands helped give extra meaning to the 6,000 young people taking part in the Caritas Challenge over the weekend. “We need to be far more grateful for all we have because they have so little and even that is being taken away from them,” said Mareko Ennor, a Year 12 student Read more
Where once an event like the Olympics or the World Cup may have been seen as a triumph of corporate and athletic enterprise, today’s world counts the cost of games much more carefully. Previous events have left countries with decaying venues and huge bills that take years to pay off. Local communities are increasingly unhappy Read more
Lent will see churches crowded across the globe. But here in Syria, where St Paul found his faith, many churches stand empty, targets for bombardment and desecration. Aleppo, where I have been bishop for 25 years, is devastated. We have become accustomed to the daily dose of death and destruction, but living in such uncertainty Read more
On Dec. 10th, 2013, Pope Francis is inviting the world to join him in a global wave of prayer to end world hunger. New Zealanders will be among the first to have the chance to catch the wave. The Pope’s message will be available from 9am New Zealand time. In the video Pope Francis invites all people – organisations and Read more
“The kumara does not tell of how sweet it is” says an old Maori proverb. For Funaki Vehekite, 53, the sweet potato is all the sweeter because it allows him to support his family and keep his five children in school. At his farm in Tongatapu, Tonga’s largest island, he also produces food crops such as kape, Read more
Mulvarosa Pibilra Perote is one of more than 500 survivors of Typhoon Haiyan who are taking shelter in a seminary in Tacloban city. The building has been turned into an evacuation centre, where Caritas and its partners are delivering aid. Mulvarosa, a 57-year-old grandmother, was at home when the storm hit, along with five of Read more
“Unimaginable,” is how the head of Caritas in the Philippines, is describing the devastation brought on by super typhoon Haiyan. Father Edwin Gariguez, S.J., told Catholic News Service by phone from Cebu that the destruction “is beyond our capacity”. He also expressed gratitude for the help of his international counterparts from the Netherlands and Germany, and Read more
It is one of the major blind-spots in international humanitarian aid. But recent and ongoing emergencies demonstrate the crucial role that local people have to play in the aftermath of disasters. Much of the humanitarian work currently taking place in Syria and neighbouring countries would not be possible without networks of dedicated organizations which understand where Read more
How can so much pain and suffering be inflicted upon a people and no notice taken by those that are inflicting it? Tell me the ideology or political view that outweighs the right to life? Around 9.3 million of Syria’s 23 million inhabitants need aid. The number of people who have lost their homes or Read more
Caritas Social Action Network for England and Wales is backing British Prime Minister David Cameron’s plans to restrict access to online pornography. Cameron has set out a number of proposals, including one that would see every Internet user forced to opt in if they want to access online porn. “We feel these are important steps Read more