“I should no longer say that I have neighbors to help, but that I must myself be a neighbor to others,” Pope Francis says in “Fratelli Tutti,” his encyclical on fraternity and social friendship.
With that in mind, South Jersey’s faithful are being asked to support the work of the Holy Father through the Peter’s Pence Collection on June 26.
Each year, the collection provides emergency relief assistance to those around the world who suffer from war, oppression, disease and natural disasters. Last year, $70,672.90 was collected in the Diocese of Camden.
For example, monies from the collection provided immediate response to the Church in Lebanon after a catastrophic warehouse explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020. The blast left more than 200 people dead or injured, and displaced thousands more. The nearly $210,000 sent made medical care, temporary shelter and other basic needs available to victims through the efforts of Caritas Lebanon, Caritas Internationalis, and sister organizations of Caritas.
In late December 2020, a powerful earthquake about 30 miles from the Croatian capital of Zagreb killed seven people and caused widespread destruction. More than $100,000 was donated to Caritas Croatia through the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Human Development.
Within five days of receiving the donation, Caritas Croatia purchased and took delivery of 100 temporary housing modules for people displaced in the disaster. The donation allowed Caritas to purchase an additional 100 modules to meet the tremendous ongoing need.
To learn more about the ways in which Peter’s Pence supports the Holy Father’s ministry of mercy, visit obolodisanpietro.va/en.html.
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