Caritas pledges support for Syrian refugees

Refugee camp in Bekaa valley - image: Sam Tarling/Caritas Suisse

Caritas Internationalis in collaboration with Caritas Syria held a high level meeting of Caritas organisations in the Vatican last week to discuss and make further plans to help and provide assistance to all people suffering from the Syria crisis.

Caritas members pledged their support to the work of Caritas Syria, and to members in the region who are helping in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan with food, shelter, medical supplies, healthcare, education and finding employment in combined programmes of nearly €15 million. Those programmes have been focused over the last few months on helping Syrians survive the winter, but will be extended as we move into spring and summer.

Caritas provides aid to Syrians regardless of their political or religious beliefs.

At the end the meeting which took place on 21-22 March Caritas organisations joined their voices to send a strong message of hope and solidarity to people suffering from the conflict in Syria: “In this Holy Week at which end we celebrate the risen Christ, we stand with those suffering from the violence in Syria and we will continue to alleviate their suffering.

“We pray for peace and dialogue among the conflicting parties so further suffering and bloodshed is avoided. Easter is a season of solidarity and hope reborn out of despair. Although the war in Syria seems to be intractable, there is a solution through a dialogue.”

Source: Caritas