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Caritas Europa is built upon the foundations of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Sometimes called “the Catholic Church’s best kept secret”, CST was formalised in the years following the industrial revolution but is ultimately based on Church tradition and the teachings of Jesus. Human rights law in Europe was drawn, in part, from the same tradition over many centuries.

The key principles of CST are:

– Life and dignity of the human person
– Call to Family, Community, and Participation
– Rights and responsibilities
– Preferential option for the poor
– The dignity of work and the rights of workers
– Solidarity
– Care for our common home

These principles guide Caritas Europa’s decision-making processes, advocacy positions, and approach to humanitarian work. Most importantly, we place the human person at the centre of all we do.

The reflections you will read on this page are contributions from theologians, lay persons, and any individual who has felt inspired to share with us the ways in which Catholic Social Teaching influences and informs their work in Caritas.

We accept voluntary submissions from anyone connected with Caritas. Send your text to stemlett@caritas.eu. We cannot publish everything we receive but we will review your submission and get back to you as soon as we can!