Vatican City – 8 May 2025 – Caritas Internationalis is overjoyed to join the universal Church in thanksgiving and welcoming Pope Leo XIV. We offer our heartfelt prayers at the beginning of his sacred ministry and we pledge to follow and support him in a spirit of service and synodality, so that in guiding the Church, he may be a visible foundation of unity in faith and communion in charity, ‘building bridges through dialogue’ as we build a synodal Church, walking together, for greater peace and charity, close to those who suffer.
The choice of the name Leo is deeply significant as we approach the 134th anniversary of Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum on 17 May, a clear commitment to the social apostolate of the Church and Catholic Social Teaching.
As “the service of charity is a constitutive element of the Church’s mission and an indispensable expression of her very being” (Benedict XVI, Intima Ecclesiae Natura), this new chapter invites us to renew our mission – to witness the love of Christ through concrete acts of compassion, justice, and hope for the world’s most vulnerable, with the dignity of every person at the centre, hearing “both to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 49).
“Caritas is not just an aid agency – it is a manifestation of God’s love in action,” said Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, President of Caritas Internationalis. “We stand ready to walk with the Holy Father as the charitable arm of the Church, building a community that serves and uplifts every person with dignity.”
“This is an exciting moment for the Church and the world,” said Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis. “Pope Leo’s immediate identification with issues of peace, solidarity, dialogue and charity, and particularly his commitment to people who suffer is an early indication to his commitment to a missionary Church for the poor and social justice. We look forward to continuing our mission and working with the Holy Father to bring hope where it’s needed most.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago Illinois, and most recently served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Prior to this, he was the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, where he lived for more than 20 years. He was on the Caritas Peru Board of Directors between 2022-2024.
Speaking on behalf of CRS, one of the Caritas Internationalis Confederation members in the USA, Sean Callahan, CRS’ president and CEO said, “We are overjoyed by the election of Pope Leo XIV and look forward to his leadership and guidance. As the first pope born in the United States, this is a momentous occasion for American Catholics and, as the humanitarian organisation for the U.S. Church, CRS is proud to mark his historic election.”
Rooted in the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, Caritas Internationalis is a Confederation of 162 member organisations working in over 200 countries and territories to respond to humanitarian crises, promote integral human development, and speaking out against injustice, to build a world “where every person, no matter what their race, religion, or nationality, can live a fully human life” (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 47). As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Deus Caritas Est “There will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love of neighbour is indispensable.”
In every crisis – from conflict zones to climate emergencies – Caritas Internationalis embodies that concrete love, made visible in service with professional competence and humanity (ref. Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 31a). Our work is built on the foundation of solidarity, which Pope John Paul II described not as a vague emotion but “a firm and persevering determinations to commit oneself to the common good.” (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 38) This commitment to the common good is more urgent than ever in a world facing war, displacement, inequality, and ecological breakdown.
Inspired by the word of Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti – “A love that transcends borders is the basis for a true and universal fraternity” – Caritas Internationalis recommits itself to global kinship that leaves no one behind. We commit to walk together within the Church and with the people of God in building a more just, peaceful, and compassionate world – where no one is excluded and love knows no boundaries.
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