Associated Institutions

The Caritas Confederation, which the Holy See has always followed with particular attention, was established in 1951, with the approval of the Statutes of the “International Conference on Charity”. Later, it took on its present name of Caritas Internationalis. On July 19, 1976, it was granted civil juridical personality of the Vatican City State.

With the publication of the Pontifical Chirograph “During the Last Supper” on September 16, 2004, Pope John Paul II, accordingly to the Canon Laws 116-123 of the Code of Canon Law,  granted public canonical legal personality to Caritas Internationalis, which, operating throughout the world, “draws inspiration for its action from the Gospel and from the Tradition of the Church” (n. 2). The Chirograph defines Caritas Internationalis as “a Confederation of charitable agencies, usually the national branches of Caritas. Without limiting the autonomy to which these branches are entitled, it fosters their collaboration through its activities of animation, coordination and representation”.    

Caritas Internationalis has 165 members.

Visit the Caritas Internationalis site.

In 1951, Pope Pius XII established the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC). In his 1952 Apostolic Constitution Exsul Familia, he wrote, “Very recently, we approved the International Catholic Migration Commission, whose function is to unite and organize existing Catholic associations and committees, and to promote, reinforce and coordinate their projects and activities in behalf of migrants and refugees” (Title I - The Church’s Motherly Solicitude for Migrants).

Since its creation, ICMC's headquarters has been in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1952, the organization was granted consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Currently, ICMC oversees a global network in national Episcopal Conferences’ services, as well as other Catholic-inspired institutions providing protection and care to uprooted people, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, human trafficking survivors, and migrants, regardless of their faith, race, ethnicity, or nationality.

In 2008, the Holy See conferred on ICMC special legal status in accordance with Code of Canon Law, 116 § 2. In his 2020 Apostolic Constitution Prædicate Evangelium, Pope Francis determined that the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development “is competent with regards to ICMC” (174 § 2).

Visit ICMC website