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How to Cover the Catholic Church
and sponsors many such meetings itself. It issues documents on the moral and
ethical dimensions of current issues such as international debt, racism, the
arms trade and land distribution.
The council’s president is Cardinal Renato Martino. Bishop Giampaolo
Crepaldi is secretary. There is no current undersecretary. Phone 06-6987-9911.
Pontifical Council
Cor Unum
Cor Unum
—Latin for “one heart”—is the Vatican’s charity arm, assisting the
pope with disaster relief and other humanitarian aid. It is also responsible
for promoting and coordinating Catholic charitable activity. The council dis-
burses donations from the faithful, which in 2006 totaled about $8 million.
Operating under the auspices of
Cor Unum
is
Caritas Internationalis
, an
international confederation of Catholic Charities agencies and international
relief organizations, such as Catholic Relief Services.
Cor Unum
also oversees
two foundations begun by Pope John Paul II: the Foundation for the Sahel,
which funds projects to combat drought and desertification in Africa; and
the
Populorum Progressio
Foundation, for farmworkers and the indigenous
peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. The latter gets its name from the
Latin title of Pope Paul VI’s 1967 social encyclical,
The Progress of Peoples
.
The presidency is currently vacant. Phone 06-6988-9411. E-mail
corunum@corunum.va .Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care ofMigrants and Itinerants
This council primarily occupies itself with migrants and refugees, but circus
and carnival workers, tourists, pilgrims, and nomadic people like the Rom
(Gypsies) are also part of its mission. In 2007 the council hosted the Vatican’s
first international conference addressing the pastoral needs of the homeless.
The president is Cardinal AntonioMaria Veglio. The secretary is Bishop Joseph
(Joy) Kalathiparambil. Phone 06-6988-7193 or 7242. E-mail
office@migrants.va .Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health CareWorkers
The health care council is entrusted with a range of functions. It not only
encourages the work of hospital chaplains and Catholics working in the
health care industry, but also provides guidance on technological advances
and policy positions, defends the right of Catholic medical personnel to object
to participation in procedures they find immoral, and lobbies pharmaceutical