Bishop Trevisi's note on the situation of Caritas Diocesana Trieste and the Caritas Foundation.

The Caritas Foundation (which is an operational body of the Diocese) and the Diocesan Caritas (a direct expression of our Church for certain charitable projects) are carrying out a range of activities and services in various directions: from the Listening Center (providing support to people and families facing various difficulties) to the Emporium of Solidarity; from the shelter for the homeless (in agreement with the Municipality) to welcoming other vulnerable individuals (families and women with small children); from the Soup Kitchen for the poor (which provided over 106,000 meals last year) to the reception of migrants, with structures contracted with the Prefecture and others entirely funded by the diocese and those willing to contribute (consider the shelter on Via S. Anastasio for transient individuals or those who have not yet been accommodated due to bureaucratic delays). Just look at caritastrieste.it, where it states: 375 volunteers; 124 operational staff; 13,810 people helped and supported (including 861 minors); 19 active projects... And then there is all the work of Caritas and San Vincenzo in the parishes, or the Capuchins’ Soup Kitchen or other associations (such as S. Egidio...): a vast array of initiatives, people, services, listening, after-school programs, food parcels, Italian language courses...

For years, the Caritas Foundation has been reporting financial strain, partly due to delays in payments for migrant services and partly to an accumulated organizational burden: before I arrived in Trieste, employees were facing significant delays in their salary payments, as were suppliers, despite the high mortgages and bank loans.

The hope is that in reorganizing these services, employees will be better protected (and now they are always paid on time) and that we can also improve management. We have received substantial support from the Italian Episcopal Conference and Caritas Italiana, which, through the funds from the 8xmille, have supported us even more than the usual annual allocation. A heartfelt thanks to all those who sign for the 8xmille for the Catholic Church. In Trieste, there are many signs of this charity reaching thousands of poor people.

The desire is to continue, and indeed increase, our attention to vulnerable individuals, both through contracted facilities and through the generosity that leads us to cover expenses to meet the needs of those not protected by laws or state systems. However, I appeal to the city. We need VOLUNTEERS and FINANCIAL RESOURCES to expand these aids. The cold is coming soon, and we cannot sit idly by or waste time discussing and delaying what charity urgently demands. God will judge us by how we have behaved toward the poor. Faced with complex problems, "let us not be fooled by easy solutions," the Pope warned during his visit to Trieste on July 7. Earlier, he had said, "A people holds together through the bonds that constitute it, and those bonds are strengthened when each person is valued." He warned us against "the cancer of indifference."

For this reason, I ask everyone to get involved and participate. We need VOLUNTEERS (and thanks to those who are already admirably dedicating themselves) and also DONATIONS. The desire is to contribute and work together with all the other active forces and associations in our City, as well as with the Institutions. The Christian faith leads us to go out and take care of the City. In it, especially in the poor and the vulnerable, we glimpse the face of Christ, poor and humble.

† Enrico Trevisi
Bishop of Trieste