Catholic Relief Services Faces Crisis After Aid Freeze

Last updated on: February 20, 2025 at 3:22 pm by Laurika Nxumalo

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Catholic Relief Services Faces Crisis After Aid Freeze 2025-02-20T15:22:09+02:00 Laurika Nxumalo

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Catholic Relief Service vs. Trump

“The Catholic Church always works to uphold the common good of all and promote the dignity of the human person, especially the most vulnerable among us, that includes the unborn, the poor, the stranger, the elderly and infirm, and migrants. The conference suddenly finds itself unable to sustain its work to care for the thousands of refugees who were welcomed into our country and assigned to the care of the USCCB by the government after being granted legal status,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB.

Photos of the aftermath of Typhoon Vamco. Photo by Jomari Guillermo, National Catholic Reporter

The recent move by the Trump administration to freeze aid towards the U.S. bishops’ worldwide humanitarian organization, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has created serious problems. An executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, placed a 90 day halt on foreign aid, including that from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has traditionally contributed a huge portion towards CRS’s annual budget.

For those who are not aware, as human beings, we have the obligation to take care of the poor. Taking care of the impoverished is a duty that is based on justice as well as charity. Many times, the impoverished are not to blame for their situation. They might have had systemic disadvantages that restricted their chances, experienced unanticipated events such as natural disasters, or been born into poverty. So, fighting poverty is not about helping the poor out of altruism but rather about upholding society’s obligation to guarantee that everyone has the chance to prosper. This interpretation of this duty transfers accountability from an individual to a collective, strengthening the notion that tackling poverty and inequality is a common responsibility. This duty of taking care of the poor is the main reason the Catholic Relief Services was established.

Background

The public’s perception of CRS is mostly that of an American humanitarian organization that reacts to the biggest crises and natural catastrophes throughout the globe. However, emergency assistance is just one aspect of CRS’s mission. Communities are also assisted by the agency in creating the resources necessary for self-sufficiency. CRS provides international aid in areas such as microfinance, emergency response, farming, HIV/AIDS, community health, education, and peace-building. CRS conducts educational programs in dioceses, parishes, schools, and homes around the United States to educate US Catholics about the agency’s activities and to promote empathy for those in need globally. CRS aims to inform American Catholics about their ethical obligations to the world’s impoverished and is increasingly offering them ways to take action.

Filipinos showing gratitude for USAID aid. Photo by OSV News photo/Wolfgang Rattay, Reuters – Catholic Standard

In 1943, during a heated war, the U.S. bishops established the War Relief Services, which later became the Catholic Relief Service. The agency’s mission was to aid Polish refugees escaping Soviet gulags, as well as war orphans and other afflicted individuals. For much of its history, performing the corporeal acts of mercy, such as feeding the hungry, providing drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, and so on, was CRS’s primary mission. When the agency initially performed this, it was for war relief. Therefore, at the time of its founding, CRS was largely an emergency and refugee organization.

The end of colonialism in Asia and Africa, the start of the Cold War, and the Truman Doctrine’s allocation of U.S. government funding to CRS all contributed to the agency’s growth in the mid-1950s. After formally changing its name to Catholic Relief Services in 1955, the organization launched 25 programs in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The agency’s programming, which was funded by the U.S. government and the Catholic Church in America, concentrated on providing basic aid, such as the distribution of clothing, food, and medication.

As CRS expanded, it adjusted to the demands of the Catholic Church in the years following World War II as well as the situations of the people it assisted globally. The late 1960s saw the beginning of the shift toward socioeconomic development and more effective emergency response, which continued into the 1970s and 1980s. Even if this development was a step in the right direction, CRS was primarily secular and fueled by more government money. Through this process, CRS expanded its concept of its goal, moving from emergency response and charity to an organization focused on sustainability, self-help, and growth.

Faith And Action

The mission statement of CRS states unequivocally that the “Fundamental motivating force in all CRS activities is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This statement calls on all believers to recognize their shared humanity, their relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ, and their duty to give preference to the poor, whether they are in their own neighborhood or on the other side of the globe. Anyone who wishes to identify as a follower of Jesus Christ must practice global love of neighbor through the ministry of service to the destitute – this is not an option.

TB-CDOT and Contact Investigation (TB education and TB screening) activities in Prey Preal Village, Thmor Kol Operational District, Battambang Province, Cambodia. Mrs.Ung Samut, Village Health Support Group, distributes TB specimen bottles to community members. Photo by CRS

Because of its experience on the ground, CRS is a U.S. Catholic organization that makes a significant contribution to the American Church’s understanding of global social justice issues. As such, it has realized that it has both an obligation and an opportunity to assist American Catholics in answering the Gospel’s call to care for the needs of the most vulnerable.

CRS brings attention to the fact that the Catholic religion calls on all believers to understand that when someone’s dignity is diminished due to poverty, conflict, or injustice, it also diminishes the rest of humanity. In order to engage U.S. Catholics in solidarity and help them live decent lives, CRS redesigned its approach to include an attempt to reach out to their hearts and minds. The CRS remains steadfast in helping Catholics in America to live out the Church’s teachings in order to create a more equitable world.

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