With over one million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, Caritas Internationalis has taken on focused initiatives to meet the varying needs of different countries.
ALOYSIUS JOHN
Secretary-General, Caritas Internationalis
“So Caritas Venezuela is now helping the people with soup kitchens, and also feeding them through these activities. So the volunteers go from door to door to see what is happening, to help people, to get in touch with the people and also to see what are the needs, and in this way they are showing solidarity.”
Caritas Internationalis also shows concern about the situation in India.
ALOYSIUS JOHN
Secretary-General, Caritas Internationalis
“Regarding Caritas India, we are talking about India, a country of 1.3 billion people, who are under lockdown today. Last week in Delhi, the lockdown was there. About 100,000 people flocked to the bus stand, and nothing was done to take them back to the villages. So there is a huge problem there, but we also know that Caritas India is present in many parts of the country, through the dioceses.”
Member organizations are also preparing to respond when the virus makes its way through Africa, where remote communities and water shortages are particularly concerning.
ALOYSIUS JOHN
Secretary-General, Caritas Internationalis
“We're also working with the Holy See, the Dicastery, to assess what are the needs in Africa. Soon we will be sending out a questionnaire to see what are the needs for them and how this could be helped. But what is important to underline here is the needs will be immense.”
Caritas Internationalis will continue to build awareness and implement safety measures, while helping meet practical needs.
CT
