Caritas Portugal (Portuguese: Cáritas Portuguesa) is the official Catholic Church organization in Portugal for charity and social relief, instituted by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.

Caritas Portugal
Cáritas Portuguesa
Established1945; 79 years ago (1945)
FounderFernanda Mendes de Almeida Ivens Ferraz Jardim, 1º President (Countess of Valenças)
TypeNonprofit
Registration no.500291756
Legal statusReligious institution
Purposesocial work, social policy, humanitarian aid, development aid
HeadquartersPraça Pasteur, nº
Location
Coordinates38°44′28″N 9°08′09″W / 38.74106°N 9.13596°W / 38.74106; -9.13596
Rita Valadas[1]
AffiliationsCaritas Internationalis, Caritas Europa
Websitewww.caritas.pt Edit this at Wikidata

Caritas Portuguesa was founded in 1945, with its first statutes approved in 1956.

From the 1950s to mid-1970s, its activities focused primarily on the distribution of food to the Portuguese population, donated by the United States, and the hosting of children from Central European countries in the aftermath of World War II and the beginning of Cold War tensions.

Organization

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Caritas Portugal is a Portuguese confederation of Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in Portugal. Caritas Portugal consists of 20 regional member organizations known as dioceses.

The organization's national headquarters are located in Lisbon; from there it provides general assistance to the regional dioceses.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "«Conversas na Ecclesia»: «Não vivemos uma crise de solidariedade» – Rita Valadas". agencia.ecclesia.pt. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
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