Thanks in part to your advocacy efforts, Congress has passed the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations bill.  This bill will provide critical support for people suffering from emergencies around the world including urgently needed funding to help Haiti recover from January’s devastating earthquake, assist refugees, and support humanitarian efforts.

What was the Church’s position? As stated in letters to House and Senate appropriators, CRS and USCCB requested:

• $2.5 billion for longer-term reconstruction in Haiti and
• $1.597 billion for other global emergency needs, including;
• $702 million for International Disaster Assistance
• $580 million for Food Assistance
• $165 million for Migration and Refugee Assistance
• $97 million for the Office of Refugee Resettlement
• $53 million for Economic Support Fund in Sudan

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One of the prime directives of this blog is to keep concerned Catholics aprised of the work they do through CRS. We want to let you know what’s going on in your world and offer ways for you to engage with brothers and sisters that are near to our hearts, however geographically distant they may be.

To that end, check out the Catholics Confront Global Poverty site.

Here’s a message summary from the site: “The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) call on one million Catholics in the United States to confront global poverty. Advocate with us to end hunger, disease, conflict, and other issues that affect the lives of our brothers and sisters worldwide.”

Archbishop Odama is an unassuming man who champions the cause of peace and lifts up the needs of the most vulnerable, especially children caught in the midst of violence and crushing poverty. With great courage he has gone to the bush to speak with members of the Lord’s Resistance Army to encourage the rebels to set aside violence and take up dialogue. With equal passion he has challenged the government to work for peace and to meet the needs of its people.
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Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) today launched the much-anticipated Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative.

Introduced at the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering on Capitol Hill, the two-year nationwide effort calls upon one million Catholics to confront global poverty by defending the life and dignity of people living in poverty throughout the world and to urge our nation to act and advocate.
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