Caritas Indonesia reaffirms commitment to environmental justice, inclusive development

Caritas Indonesia brought together bishops, staff, and international partners for their biennial meeting focused on renewing their commitment to environmental justice and inclusive development across the country.

The National Network Meeting, held from May 21 to 24 in Central Jakarta, centered on fostering spiritual and strategic reflection toward the organization’s humanitarian priorities, as reported by Asia News.

This year marks Caritas Indonesia’s third year in its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan on strengthening green initiatives in line with Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology, Laudato Si’.

In his message, Emeritus Bishop Aloysius Sudarso, chairman of Caritas Indonesia’s governing board, emphasized nurturing synergy and strengthening “the spirit of fraternal cooperation among diocesan Caritas offices” across the country.

“This spirit must guide our efforts in disaster response and long-term humanitarian programs,” he said.

The meeting saw diocesan representatives present their best practices for care of creation.

Sudarso expressed his hope that this sharing of ideas would generate follow-up actions that could scale up better environmental initiatives in Indonesia.

“We are committed to working closely with government stakeholders at all levels, ensuring that our humanitarian services contribute meaningfully to the social fabric and resilience of communities,” the prelate said.

Moreover, the event explored other critical issues within the Church, such as addressing human trafficking, the improvement of public health programs, and the role of women in building resilient indigenous communities.

Present during the biennial meeting were the bishop-administrators of Caritas Indonesia, the directors of the diocesan Caritas officers, and representatives of the Commissions for Social and Economic Development.

Also gracing the event were representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), the Indonesia Humanitarian Forum (HFI), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Indonesia.

Furthermore, Caritas representatives from Asia, Germany, Timor-Leste, and Australia also attended the meeting.

Founded in 2006, Caritas Indonesia, also known as the Karina Foundation, is dedicated to disaster and climate change response.

They are also committed to health and nutrition as well as the protection of migrants and human trafficking victims.