January 22, 2013. (Romereports.com) Representatives of over 70 Catholic aid agencies traveled to Rome to share their experiences during the plenary assembly for the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. They focus on several areas: from Caritas Libano, which takes care of over 40,000 Syrian refugees; or Gawad Kalinga, a Filipino group whose goal is to eradicate poverty within 5 million families before 2024. Despite their different missions, they all one thing in common.
MSGR. GIAMPIETRO DAL TOSO Secretary, Pontifical Council Cor Unum
“If we dedicate ourselves to a person's developments, we have to think about what kind of person we want to develop, where do we want to take them. We are, above all things, interested in defending also the transcendent vocation of man.”
Another aid group present is Cross Catholic Outreach, from Palm Beach, Florida. Since 2001, they offer help and guidance to church and institutions to help out the most needy.
JAMES J. CANVAR
President, Cross Catholic Outreach
“ Last year we provided about 200 million US in AID to 275 projects in 42 countries. We have all together in our organization about a 150 employees, but we have over 500,000 donors from the US to contribute, to support that work.”
The group's leader says the economic crisis has forced many people to seek help with meals and medicines. But he adds it has also increased people's generosity.
For James Cavnar, the Cor Unum assembly is an opportunity to learn about the work of other groups and how to work together to spread their Christian message through aid work.
JAMES J. CANVAR
President, Cross Catholic Outreach
"The great challenge to the Catholic charities is, like, as coming from what was termed the new global ethic. A set of principles that sound very good, such as, lets say, reproductive health but which end in up many times being interpreted as support for abortion and contraception.”
During the plenary assembly, the participants also debated how to collaborate with other social groups without a Catholic identity, but without having to renounce to their basic Christian principles.
Pope Paul VI created the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in 1971, precisely to help with the task of coordinating Catholic groups' aid efforts.
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