Caritas Internationalis

Caritas Internationalis (Latin for "Charity International") is a confederation of 162 national Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. The name Caritas Internationalis refers to both the global network of Caritas organizations and to its general secretariat based in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy.

Caritas Internationalis
Formation9 November 1951
Founded at Vatican City
PurposeHumanitarian aid, international development, social service, advocacy
HeadquartersPalazzo San Callisto
Location
  •  Vatican City
Coordinates41°53′20″N 12°28′14″E
OriginsCatholic Social Teaching
Region served
Worldwide
Membership (2023)
162 national member organisations
Official language
English, French, Spanish
Secretary General
Alistair Dutton
President
Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi
Vice-President
Kirsty Robertson
Main organ
General Assembly and Executive Board
AffiliationsICVA, SCHR, Sphere
Websitewww.caritas.org

Collectively and individually, their missions are "to serve the poor and to promote charity and justice throughout the world". Caritas Internationalis is the second-largest international humanitarian aid netowrk in the world after the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The first Caritas organization was established by Lorenz Werthmann in 1897 in Freiburg, Germany. Other national Caritas organizations were soon formed in Switzerland (1901) and the United States (Catholic Charities, 1910).

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