The Pope's charity for humanitarian emergencies in 2012
January 05, 2013: 388 armed conflict, 20 of which are high, 69 full-blown humanitarian
crisis, 40 desperate appeals for immediate response. These figures reflect the dramatic
situation faced by most of the world's population and that reflect a commitment by
Cor Unum - the Pope’s Charity for humanitarian emergencies, said Msgr. Giampietro
Dal Toso, secretary of Cor Unum in an interview. He was taking stock of the Cor Unum
over the past one year.
Syria, Libya, Bangladesh, South Sudan, Bolivia, Paraguay
are some of the countries in which Pope’s Charity decisively intervened in 2012, Msgr.
Added.
In 2012 there was a spike of humanitarian crises in the world. Caritas
Internationalis has launched a record number of 41 programs in support of people in
distress. Currently there exist 69 humanitarian crisis situations, which created many
difficulties, he said.
When asked about what causes this increase in humanitarian
crises, Msgr. Toso said that it was caused by natural phenomena such as earthquakes,
cyclones, floods, with increasing frequency as a result of climate change. And then
there are wars. In the world today there are 388 armed conflicts, including 20 high
intensity, with more than a thousand deaths per year.
When asked how did Cor
Unum intervene in the plight of a country, like Syria, he said that Pope’s Charity
has intervened several times last year. He also said that he personally visited Damascus
in March and took a first aid of one hundred thousand dollars on behalf of the Pope.
And when the situation gradually worsened, Pope Benedict XVI send in November the
President of Cor Unum Cardinal Robert Sarah with a second major contribution, this
time the result of a collection of Synod of Bishops and their large personal donations.
Since there were no safety conditions in place to go directly to Syria, the cardinal
stopped in Lebanon. I accompanied the cardinal so I can testify to the great effort
that the Church is doing in that region. We met in a special meeting of the representatives
of more than 25 Catholic organizations engaged at the time and we have heard painful
stories and dramatic testimonies. When asked whether the intervention of Cor Unum
was welcomed by Christians and Muslims, he said that the Christians have clearly perceived
the presence and participation of the Pope and the Church in their crisis. Muslims
too understood that the help of the Church is not partisan, but it is for everyone.
Looking ahead of the New year 2013, Msgr. Toso said that two important events
are awaited (1) our plenary meeting, scheduled for January 17 to 19 on "The Christian
anthropology and the new global ethic." The other major event consists of a smaller
meeting to be held on 4 and 5 March to discuss the distinction between the theology
of charity and social doctrine of the Church.