National Meeting of diocesan Caritas in Serbia – Tekije – 2016.
On the fourth of June Caritas of Serbiai organized a meeting of diocesan Caritas at Tekije. The number of participants was around 180. The topic was: Challenges and Prospects of Caritas in the Church and society.
The participants were welcomed by national Caritas director Fr.. Vladislav Varga and said he can not leave from the meeting place the same way as they arrived.
Directors of individual Caritas presented the general situation on the basis of diocesan meeting of parish Caritas groups, then Istvan Dobai from Caritas Subotica drafted the situation in the society. He pointed out that one of the key problems is the unemployment because of the impossibility of making earnings humiliates man, taking his foundation of dignity and self-consciousness, leads him to a position of dependency and if it takes a few years, one becomes mentally unable to work, lose motivation to look for work, and social burden prevails.He also pointed to the very difficult situation of the family, because the liberal-libertarian atmosphere of Europe wants to destroy the basic community of society, which is becoming a human and a Christian. He made the suggestion that without neglecting previous activities, to put more emphasis on the achievement of spiritual works of mercy in the future. Specifically to achieve national Caritas project for education and animation of volunteers, in order to know more expertly and efficiently perform spiritual works of mercy: to advise the undecided, to comfort the sad, to become stronger in the submission of injustice and forgiveness, but at the same time proficient in teaching and rebuke sinners. On the subject of refugees and migrants he said that care for them is the area of social activities, financed by the state, but if we have to face with the man who is hungry, we’ll feed him, if he is unclothed, we vest him.
Based on all the above are trustees of diocesan Caritas in a smaller group’s formulated concrete conclusions for future work, and in the church volunteers underlined examples of best practice, to learn from each other.
After lunch Darko Tot, coordinator of Caritas Serbia presented a summary, and gave the floor to the participants in the plenary session.
The meeting ended by concelebration led by Msgr. Stanislav Hocevar, Archbishop of Belgrade, President of Caritas Serbia.
