Caritas Oceania Explained

Caritas Oceania
Key People:	Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi (president)^[1]
Area Served:	Oceania
Focus:	Humanitarian aid, international development

Caritas Oceania is an Oceanian confederation of Catholic social, humanitarian, and relief organisations. It is one of the seven regional confederations of Caritas Internationalis members. Caritas Oceania consists of seven member organisations from across the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand.

History

2000s

In 2005, Caritas Oceania proposed that climate change should become the chief environmental justice focus of Caritas Internationalis.^[2]

In 2006, Caritas Oceania held a meeting in Wellington to discuss climate change, where they were addressed by New Zealand Minister of Energy and Climate Change Issues David Parker.^[3]

2010s

Beginning in 2014, Caritas Oceania published annual 'Caritas State of the Environment for Oceania' reports focussing on environmental issues throughout the Pacific,^[4] including climate change and its affects on Pacific communities.^{[5] [6] [7]}

2020s

In February 2021, Caritas Oceania president Sr Senolita Vakata passed away, and was replaced in March by Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga. The same year, Caritas Internationalis celebrated its 70th anniversary with a series of webinars focussing on different regions, including one for Caritas Oceania in which members spoke of the issues facing the region regarding environmental justice and gender equality.^[8]

In 2022, Caritas Oceania published a report entitled 'Twin Clouds on the Horizon' focussing on climate finance issues in the Pacific, and the interrelated threats of climate damage and debt faced by Pacific Island nations. The report was co-authored with Jubilee Australia Research Centre.^{[9] [10]} In July 2022, Caritas Oceania sent a delegate to the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.^[11]

Members

Country	Member organisation	Established
	Caritas Australia	1964
	Caritas Fiji	2019
	Caritas Papua New Guinea	1974
	Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand	1966
	Caritas Samoa	2008
	Caritas Tonga	1972
Pacific Islands	Caritas Pacific Islands	1980

Notes and References

1. News: NZ Catholic Staff . New president for Caritas Oceania . 6 September 2023 . NZ Catholic . 23 March 2021.
2. Book: Reid . Hannah . Simms . Andrew . Johnson . Victoria . Up in Smoke? Asia and the Pacific: The Threat from Climate Change to Human Development and the Environment . 2007 . . Great Britain . 1904882250 . 83 . Illustrated.
3. Web site: Parker, David . David Parker (New Zealand politician) . Caritas Oceania meeting in Wellington . Beehive.govt.nz . 7 September 2023 . 20 July 2006.
4. Web site: Caritas Internationalis . Caritas Internationalis . Statement to UN Ocean Conference from Caritas Internationalis Delegation . . 7 September 2023 . PDF . 1 July 2022.
5. Bourke . Megan . Climate justice - turning the tide in our Asia-Pacific neighbourhood . Interaction . September 2018 . 46 . 3 . 23–25 . 7 September 2023.
6. News: Woolf . Amber-Leigh . In low-lying nations of Oceania, people are already dying of climate change, report says . 7 September 2023 . Stuff . 3 October 2019.
7. News: Caritas Oceania . Seeds of Hope: Caritas State of the Environment for Oceania 2019 Report . 7 September 2023 . . . 7 October 2019.
8. News: De Angelis . Andrea . Caritas Internationalis focuses on commitment to Oceania . 7 September 2023 . . 9 November 2021.
9. News: Caritas Oceania . Jubilee Australia Research Centre . Twin clouds on the horizon: Averting a combined climate and debt crisis in the Pacific through locally-driven climate finance . 7 September 2023 . . . 7 October 2022.
10. News: Kohout . Jan . Pacific faces perfect storm of climate change and debt says report . 7 September 2023 . . 17 October 2022.
11. Web site: Kara . Tita . UNOC Plenary Session Statement by Caritas Internationalis . . 7 September 2023.