Posted July 21, 2008
Church aid workers in Spain
learn to focus on whole person
By Anna-Patrice Bitong
Catholic News Service
MADRID, Spain (CNS) -- More than 100 aid workers for the Catholic Church in Spain explored ways to eradicate poverty and other social problems by focusing on people's spiritual and mental health as well as their physical problems.
Juan Antonio Almonacid, coordinator of the July 3-16 program held outside of Madrid, said the program aimed to "promote humanity" by training Caritas Spain employees and volunteers from 49 dioceses to care for the needs of the whole person.
"If there is poverty, we do not just look to see if a person eats or does not eat. We also try to help with the person's mental and emotional health and fight against human weakness," Almonacid said.
The program also sought to create a common culture among people who dedicate their lives to helping the marginalized. Caritas Spain is the local affiliate of Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organization of Catholic aid agencies worldwide.
Jesus Sil, a Caritas employee who works with underprivileged youth, said he benefited from exchanging knowledge and experiences with others in his field.
"I was looking for new techniques to deal with the most difficult part of my job, which is to make young people believe in their capabilities," he said.
Rosa Maria Martin, secretary-general of the Caritas office in Tenerife and a volunteer who works with people affected by AIDS, said the program gave theological answers to social dilemmas and made her feel better equipped to face the "hard reality" of people living with AIDS.
"As Christians, we are sustained by our hope the world will change. We try to give that hope to everyone that comes to" Caritas, Martin said.
About 8 million of Spain's 40.4 million people live in poverty; about 30,000 of them are homeless, according to a 2006 Caritas report.
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