Organization has spent $26 million on humanitarian aid for the country since 2012

The B.C. Catholic



The world’s second-largest humanitarian aid network has launched a new campaign in hopes of ending the war in Syria.

Caritas Internationalis sees its campaign, “Syria: Peace is Possible,” as complementary to its humanitarian efforts.

“We bring a perspective that is not always the one that is brought to the table when it comes to peace negotiations: one of the people,” said Ryan Worms, director of communications for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

CCODP is the Canadian branch of Caritas, an international Catholic Vatican-based humanitarian and development organization that has 165 members in as many countries. It is second in size only to the Red Cross.

“When Caritas is talking, it is always bringing the voices of the grassroots, the people suffering, and the people active to find paths for more justice, human dignity, peace, and reconciliation,” he said.

CCODP has spent $26 million on humanitarian aid for Syria since 2012. A large portion of this money has come from the Canadian government.

Caritas’s peace campaign, launched July 4, is looking for more than food, health care, and other supports for displaced Syrians.

“What is new is there’s also a request for all the Caritas members around the world to work with their governments, to lobby their governments for a solution providing lasting peace in Syria.”

Those talks have already begun here, Worms said, but there is more to do. He said Caritas hopes people will speak to their members of parliament about seeking peace in Syria, and sign a CCODP petition urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to promote peace using political, not military, means.

“You cannot talk about peace and, at the same time, promote military action,” Worms said. He echoed the words of Pope Francis, who recently released a video message in support of the campaign.

“While the people suffer, incredible quantities of money are being spent to supply weapons to fighters, and some of the countries supplying these arms are also among those that talk of peace,” the Pope said. “How can you believe in someone who caresses you with the right hand and strikes you with the left hand?”

“Everyone has to recognize that there is no military solution for Syria, but only a political solution.”

Caritas’s new campaign has two more aims: seeking guaranteed access to humanitarian aid for all affected people, and making sure civilians are involved in the peace process.

“No lasting peace is possible without direct involvement of the civil society,” said Worms.

Caritas is “promoting the view and the message of the Gospel when we look at the need for peace, looking for ways to live together based on love, respect, and compassion.”

“All those values are important when you want to end a war.”

Since the conflict began more than five years ago, CCODP estimates 13.5 million people in Syria have been in need of humanitarian aid and another 4.8 million have taken refuge in nearby Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.

Worms said CCODP is planning a national day of prayer Oct. 4.

“We have to believe in the strength in prayers when we want peace in the world.”