Caritas found profound inspiration in Paul VI’s encyclical Populorum Progressio, where the Pontiff stated that “development is the new name of peace”.
Caritas takes an integrated approach in its development work – aiming to combat poverty, to support people who are excluded and to care for our common home.
It works alongside and in solidarity with the more than 800 million people who still live below the poverty line, whether they live in poor countries or rich ones.
To Caritas, development means building a world in which we all live without fear of hunger and injustice, peacefully co-existing, providing for ourselves and protecting our planet. We focus on the root causes and multiple effects of poverty and on bringing the empowered voices of communities into the political process.
In this spirit, Caritas is pleased to have participated in the open and collaborative process out of which a new development agenda was born in September 2015. Known as the Sustainable Development Goals – or SDGs – the 17 goals and 169 targets, are ambitious and challenging. But, they are also offer hope.
While the SDGs are a follow on to the “unfinished business” of the Millennium Development Goals of the last 15 years, they now apply universally to every country and go further in pledging that no person will be left behind. They put the dignity of the human person at the heart of their vision in the same way as does the Laudato Si’ Encyclical of Pope Francis.
Caritas will work through its members worldwide to bring a visible difference to the success of the SDGs and to the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people.
What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?
Pope Francis, Laudato Si’
Caritas Updates On Development
Read about how we work with REPAM – a Catholic Church network promoting the rights of people living in the Amazon.
