Catholic Relief Services
Aim
Assist the poor and vulnerable overseas; cherish, preserve and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, foster charity and justice, and embody Catholic social and moral teaching as we act to promote human development by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies, and serve Catholics in the United States as they live their faith in solidarity with their brothers and sisters around the world; assist people on the basis of need, not creed, race or nationality.
History
In 1943, during World War II, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) first began its work focused on the resettlement of war refugees in Europe. The Roman Catholic Bishops of the United States established CRS to help war-torn Europe and its refugees recover from this great conflict.
IRD Activities
- Inter-Religious Dialogue
Catholic Relief Services actively supports inter-religious dialogue in a number of countries as a natural outgrowth of its Catholic identity and involvement with local or national church bodies. CRS works to encourage dialogue between religious leaders, to support seminars emphasising the social teachings of religions to promote messages of forgiveness, peacebuilding and furthermore, to support reconciliation programmes in citizen education, conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
Philippines - Central African Republic - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Egypt - Kenya - Tanzania - Uganda - Niger - Nigeria - Pakistan - Cameroon