Catholic Relief Services

The Latest

A bridg lies destroyed after being hit by a tsunami, Oct. 1, 2018, in Palu, Indonesia.

CRS helps victims of Indonesia earthquake and tsunami

Oct 1, 2018

Catholic humanitarian groups have joined the efforts to support the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian... Read more

Mama Tierra coffee. Courtesy of Equal Exchange.

CRS sells fair trade coffee, supporting Mexican farmers and land

Sep 24, 2018

By Perry West

Catholic Relief Services is now offering fair trade coffee beans that will benefit local farming communities in Mexico and foster... Read more

A starving cow near Ouahigouya, north of Burkina Faso.

Baltimore Orioles, CRS send meals to drought-stricken Burkina Faso

Sep 10, 2018

The Baltimore Orioles teamed up with Catholic Relief Services last weekend to help feed the hungry in Burkina Faso.  Read more

A child stands in front of debris after an Aug. 5 earthquake on Indonesia’s Lombok island.

As death toll climbs from Indonesia quake, Catholic agency takes action

Aug 10, 2018

With hundreds dead and thousands left homeless by a major earthquake in Indonesia last weekend, Catholic Relief Services is working... Read more

Scenes from shelters in Escuintla, Guatemala, after the Fuego volcano erupted on Sunday, June 3, 2018.

Catholic churches offer relief after Guatemala's deadly volcano eruption

Jun 5, 2018

By Courtney Mares

Three Catholic churches in Guatemala have opened their doors to shelter victims of Sunday’s sudden volcano eruption that devastated villages... Read more

Destruction in Azaz, Syria, near the Turkish border.

The past seven years: A reflection on the Syrian Civil War

Mar 15, 2018

Seven years ago, on March 15, 2011, the Syrian Civil War began. Since then, the conflict in Syria has forced... Read more

Refugees in Haiti.

Catholic aid organizations respond to Oxfam prostitution scandal in Haiti

Feb 15, 2018

By Courtney Mares

Amid allegations that Oxfam UK aid workers hired prostitutes in Haiti and Chad while administering humanitarian aid, Catholic aid organizations... Read more

Children displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The devastating but little-noticed DRC refugee crisis

Dec 8, 2017

By Kevin J. Jones

Every day, thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are forced to flee their homes.  Read more

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historic peacebuilding program launches in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nov 15, 2017

When Pope Francis visited Bosnia and Herzegovina two years ago, he found a country still healing from a devastating conflict two... Read more

Most children in orphanages aren't actually orphans. This group wants to help them.

Sep 26, 2017

By Michelle La Rosa

Shannon Senefeld always assumed that children in orphanages are mostly orphans. Most people make that assumption.  Read more

Suomi NPP VIIRS satellite view of Hurricane Irma.

Catholics pray, prepare as Hurricane Irma looms

Sep 7, 2017

As Hurricane Irma moves through the Atlantic – one of the strongest storms ever recorded in that ocean – Catholic... Read more

A shanty town in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in November 2013.

Shock and grief after mudslide in Sierra Leone kills hundreds

Aug 16, 2017

A massive mudslide in Sierra Leone’s capital city has left hundreds dead and thousands homeless, with relief agencies hurrying to... Read more

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre visits a refugee camp in Dawodiya, Iraq, April 10, 2016.

Humanitarian needs going unmet in Iraq, Catholic leaders tell Congress

Nov 30, 2016

Given new and expanded humanitarian crises in Iraq and elsewhere, Congress should respond generously to a request to approve additional... Read more

Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti Oct. 4, 2016.

After Hurricane Matthew strikes Haiti, relief agencies are on the move

Oct 5, 2016

By Kevin J. Jones

Hurricane Matthew caused severe damage and several deaths in Haiti, and relief workers have already started to evaluate the damage.  Read more

Caritas Athens soup kitchen for refugees in Athens, Greece.

We need to do more for refugees, Catholic advocates say

Sep 17, 2016

By Matt Hadro

Catholic advocates are praising the U.S. for hosting an international refugee summit, but insist the administration can do more to... Read more

Staff and volunteers with a client at a Catholic Relief Services early childhood development center in Nairobi, Kenya.

CRS and Special Olympics team up to help Kenya's forgotten children

Aug 2, 2016

In 2013, Leia Isanhart met a little boy in Nairobi with intellectual disabilities. Because he was not very mobile, his... Read more

A Caritas Athens soup kitchen for refugees in Greece.

There are 21 million refugees around the world in need of solidarity

Jun 20, 2016

By Matt Hadro

As the global refugee crisis is at its worst since World War II, Catholics cannot be indifferent to the plight... Read more

Pope Francis kisses a child in St. Peter's Square for the general audience, Dec. 9, 2015.

Don't love concepts – love people, Pope Francis tells aid workers

May 24, 2016

Addressing a global summit on humanitarian aid, Pope Francis offered encouragement and a reminder – don’t ever forget that each... Read more

Sabriya Yaqubi and her daughter Hasti at the Caritas Athens Refugee Centre in Athens, Greece.

Could Pope Francis' visit to Greece be a game-changer for refugees?

Apr 15, 2016

By Kevin J. Jones

Pope Francis’ visit with refugees and migrants in Greece this Saturday could be a moment of leadership at a time... Read more

Syrian Refugees.

Five years into the Syrian Civil War, a look at those who've fled

Mar 15, 2016

March 15 marks five years since civil war broke out in Syria. The conflict has had devastating consequences for the... Read more