Portugal: national Caritas week in support of families. Events and fund raising

2017’s Portuguese national Caritas week due to take place from 12^th to 19^th March aims to increase support for the country’s families and needy people. The initiative, with the motto “Family, the peacemaker”, calls all Portuguese people to be generous and donate to the association’s many volunteers in every diocese. In 2016, the fund-raising campaign collected 265 thousand euros overall. As he presented the event to the press, the president of Caritas Portugal, Eugénio Fonseca, stated that “peace, agreement between people, justice, love, solidarity in society and in the world cannot be achieved unless such values are regularly practiced in every household and in every home. If we want to build a peaceful world, we must invest in supporting the families. We cannot have poor, broken families where people are hungry or unemployed or live in uncertain conditions or have no rights”. In this respect, he hopes “the public institutions will make serious, substantial investments” in support of families. The national Caritas week will include other initiatives promoted by each diocesan section; for instance, in Lisbon, such initiative will include “a reflection on the social-charitable work of the Portuguese Catholic Church” as well as “a walk for peace”.