Caritas Internationalis holds General Assembly

(Vatican Radio) A palpable wave of excitement pervades the offices of Caritas Internationalis as the entire Caritas “family” prepares to come together from 12 to 17 May to touch base and plan for the future.

Caritas delegates from 164 member organizations across the globe are to gather in Rome for the General Assembly of the Catholic Church’s embracing humanitarian relief and development confederation.

During their week together they will pray, hold elections for new leadership and decide the confederation’s strategic direction for the next four years.

They are rightly excited because it is a time to come together to listen, share and strengthen their mission to work as one in the fight against global injustice.

The General Assembly gets underway with a special Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica. 

The General Assembly which takes place at Rome’s Domus Mariae will feature illustrious guest speakers including Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and theologian Fr Gustavo Gutierrez OP.

But is also sees the presence of young people, volunteers, grassroots communities and campaigners against hunger.

Caritas Internationalis President, Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga will officially open the event which focuses on the theme: “One Human Family, Caring for Creation”.

Linda Bordoni spoke to Caritas Internationalis Secretary General, Michel Roy, about his hopes and expectations for the event.

Listen to the interview: 

Michel Roy explains that the General Assembly takes place every four years only because it is costly to bring together some 400 delegates from all over the world.

Its purpose is “to discuss where we are at as a family and to plan for the future as well” he says.

He explains that the delegates are preparing a strategic framework and plan, and that these will be debated during the meeting.

Roy says the occasion will also be an important moment to report on the present campaign: “One Human Family, Food For All” which aims to end hunger by 2025.

He also reveals that at the end of the General Assembly, on May 19: “we will celebrate the ‘Caritas Day’ at the Expo 2015 in Milan and this will be the top moment for the campaign and also its last public moment”.

He says that the massive international Milan event (on the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”)  has dedicated one whole day to Caritas  “just as they do with governments and States and it will be an opportunity to account for what the organization has been doing in the past one and a half years with the campaign”.

Roy says Caritas members have already started discussing the theme of the next campaign which will be decided towards the end of the year.

He says one of the themes that has emerged with prominence has to do with minor migrants which, he says, “is becoming a real big issue in many countries around the world”.

The Secretary General also speaks about the theme chosen for the General Assembly which is: “One Human Family, Caring For Creation”.

He explains that there are major opportunities coming up to work towards this goal, such as a new papal encyclical on human ecology, the launch in December 2015 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the COP 21 climate meeting in Paris.

Roy speaks at length of the impact that Pope Francis has had on the work of Caritas during the past two years.

“Pope Francis has brought a different atmosphere” he says.

He points out that his teachings are along the same lines as John Paul II, of Pope Paul VI with his social encyclical “Populorum Progressio” and also of Pope Benedict XVI with his encyclicals “Caritas in Veritate” and “Deus Caritas Est”.

“There is not much new in the teachings of the Church which are very strong on the importance of putting human beings in the center of development and growth. But the style of Pope Francis, his closeness to the people, his pastoral approach has brought a different dynamic, and we are called and pushed by Pope Francis to go forward, especially in helping the Church to become what he calls a poor Church for the poor” he says.

He speaks of the Church’s mission of charity which he says is the third pillar of the Church beyond the teachings and beyond the Sacraments.

This pillar he says is pushed forward by Pope Francis who “really does help the Christian community at the grass roots to undertake initiatives and to work more with the poor and bring them inside society”.

Roy speaks with heightened expectations of Pope Francis’ soon to be published encyclical dedicated to Creation.

He says it will be centered on human ecology “and I am sure there will be a strong call for us to be and to behave with nature so as to preserve nature for future generations”.

And looking ahead to the Mass presided over by Pope Francis that will open the General Assembly, Roy says Caritas members are waiting to hear what he will tell them in his homily.

“Soon after being elected he called us to be ‘the caress of the Church to those wounded by life’”.

Our people – Roy says – are very sensitive to this kind of message.