Halting the work of U.S.A.I.D. “will kill millions of people and condemn hundreds of millions more to lives of dehumanizing poverty.”
Humanitarian Aid
Posted inFaith in Focus, Politics & Society
My journey from USAID officer to Jesuit priest
When I worked for U.S.A.I.D., I was not a churchgoer, but the moral vision was clear: We Americans, in our affluence, must reach out to those in need with generosity.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
We can be proud of the work of Catholic Relief Services, as Catholics—and as Americans
I cannot defend every entity that receives funding from U.S.A.I.D. I cannot even speak on behalf of C.R.S. But I can tell you what I saw when I traveled overseas to report on their work.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
I led Catholic Relief Services. I’ve seen USAID projects change lives.
In partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, CRS saves lives, empowers people and creates goodwill for the United States. All for less than one percent of our national budget.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Congolese bishop condemns ‘dire humanitarian situation’ after deadly attack in Goma
Approximately six million people have died in the conflict in the eastern D.R.C. since 1996. For decades, numerous armed groups have competed for power and control of this vast nation’s potential fortune.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
JD Vance says foreign aid is ‘spreading atheism,’ defends cuts at religious freedom summit
Cuts to foreign assistance directly impacted the work of some of the religious freedom organizations at the summit. USAID’s top NGO recipient for fiscal years 2013-2022 was Catholic Relief Services at $4.6 billion.
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
Trump’s foreign aid freeze a ‘death sentence’ for many humanitarian groups
Most humanitarian agencies operate just ahead of insolvency in the best of times, Nate Radomski, the executive director of American Jesuits International, says.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Catholic institutions in Africa seek alternative funding as support from former missionaries fades
Catholic institutions in Zimbabwe and other African states once could rely on support from retired missionaries. Now the decline in missionary numbers has left African religious communities facing a financial crunch.
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
As cease-fire wobbles, new study finds Gaza death toll likely much higher than believed
A new report published in the U.K. medical journal The Lancet indicates that far from exaggerating the human suffering in Gaza, the ministry has likely underestimated the true number of the dead by as much as 41 percent.
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
Debt relief advocates make their case to Joe Biden before he leaves the White House
More than 60 Catholic institutions, congregations and individuals have signed a letter imploring Mr. Biden to endorse a new round of assistance to the world’s most indebted nations from the International Monetary Fund.