View source for Catholic charities

{{short description|Charitable organizations of the Catholic Church}} {{about|the Catholic Church's charities in general|the United States organization|Catholic Charities USA}} {{more citations needed|date=January 2017}}

The [[Catholic Church]] operates numerous [[Charitable organization|charitable organizations]].

Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the [[Gospel]], while [[Catholic social teaching]] emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the [[Works of mercy|corporal and spiritual works of mercy]]. The Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of [[education]] and [[Health care|medical services]] in the world.<ref name="Geopolitics">{{cite journal|last=Agnew|first=John|title=Deus Vult: The Geopolitics of Catholic Church|journal=Geopolitics|date=12 February 2010|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–61|doi=10.1080/14650040903420388}}</ref>

== History ==
The Catholic Church has had a long tradition of coordinating charity to the poor, something that was closely linked to the early Christian [[Eucharist in the Catholic Church|Eucharist]], with the office of [[deacon]] being started for this purpose.<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Care of the Poor by the Church}}</ref>

Over time this became a part of the bishop's responsibilities and then from the fourth century onwards was decentralised to parishes and monastic orders.  After the Reformation, the Church lost a large amount of property in both Catholic and Protestant countries, and after a period of sharply increased poverty, [[poor relief]] had to become more tax based.

Within the United States, each diocese typically has a Catholic Charities organization that is run as a diocesan corporation, i.e., a civil corporation owned by the diocese or archdiocese.

== List of major Catholic charities (non-exhaustive) ==<!-- Please confine to charities which already have well-sourced Wikipedia articles -->

* [[Aid to the Church in Need]]
* [[Ascension (company)|Ascension]]
* [[CAFOD]]
* [[Catholic Charities USA]]
* [[Catholic Home Missions]]
* [[Catholic Near East Welfare Association]]
* [[Catholic Relief Services]]
* [[Caritas Internationalis]]
* [[CIDSE]]
* [[Community of Sant'Egidio]]
* [[Cordaid]]
* [[Fidesco International]]
* [[Jesuit Refugee Service]]
* [[Malteser International]]
* [[Maryknoll]]
* [[Missionaries of the Poor]]
* [[Pontifical Mission Societies]]
* [[Renovabis]]
* [[Society of St Vincent de Paul]]
* [[Talitha Kum]]
* [[Trócaire]]

== See also ==

* [[Christian humanitarian aid]]
* [[Catholic Church and health care]]
* [[Catholic school]]
* [[Catholic higher education]]
* ''[[Ad gentes]]''
* [[Catholic lay organisations]]

== References ==
<references />
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