(ZENIT News / Roma, 05.10.2023).- On May 11-16, the 22nd General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis will be held in Rome, Italy, attended by around 400 delegates representing the 162 Caritas organisations operating in 200 countries and territories around the world.
The General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis is held every four years, also to elect the President, Secretary General, Treasurer as well as Executive Board and Representative Council of the Confederation. During the 2023 General Assembly – whose theme, «Building New Paths of Fraternity», is inspired by the Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti – the leadership who are to lead the Caritas Confederation over the next four years from 2023 to 2027 will be elected.
During the days of the event, Caritas delegates will reflect on how Caritas organisations can work better together on behalf of the poorest and most vulnerable in a world increasingly affected by multiple crises: from the war in Ukraine, to the COVID-19 pandemic, from the consequences of climate change to rampant food insecurity.
The Assembly will be opened by a private Audience with Pope Francis on May 11. On May 12 there will be a reflection on “The world global challenges and the role of Caritas”, with the addresses of Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See, Ambassador Gabriel Ferrero y de Loma-Osorio, Chairperson of the UN Committee on World Food Security, and Caritas voices from Ghana, Myanmar and Ireland.
In the following days there will be other thematic sessions which will focus on three key topics for the Confederation: synodality, regionalisation and fraternal cooperation. The sessions will include addresses by Caritas representatives from all over the world, as well as external guests including Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of General Secretary of the Synod, and Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Caritas, the largest Church charity organization in the world, was intervened by Pope Francis at the end of November 2022. Recently the former president has spoken out underlining an interventionist mentality of the Pontiff.
