Serving the most needy physically and spiritually
In CHARIS we believe that we can dream of a better future in the world if we are faithful to God’s inspirations and work together following the teachings of Jesus in the Gospel. This is what Pope Francis entrusted to us as one of the three priority missions at the launch of CHARIS at Pentecost 2019: in addition to sharing the Baptism in the Spirit with all in the Church and serving the unity of the community of believers in Jesus Christ that is the Church, Pope Francis gave CHARIS the mission to serve the poor and the most needy, physically and spiritually. To address this third dimension, the Human Promotion Commission was created in September 2021.
Discovering unexpected possibilities for human promotion in the grace of the Spirit
The first action of the Human Promotion Commission was to organise a meeting on line on YouTube on the 1st of July 2022 on the theme Charismatic Renewal, Social Action and Service to the Poor. About 1,000 people followed the event live and, to date, the video on Youtube has more than 3,500 views, in English, Spanish, French, Italian or Portuguese. It shows how communities and individuals – connected to the Holy Spirit and to each other – can discover unexpected possibilities and participate in the coming of the Kingdom of God through social action and service to the poor in Paraguay (Kkotongnae), Brazil (Shalom), France and Togo (Fondaccio), Congo (Via Pacis), Uganda (Holy Trinity Community), India (Dhiya), Australia (Emmanuel) and many other regions of the world, through various projects to be developed and made known.
For the coming of God’s Kingdom on Earth
These achievements, together with the testimonies gathered in these mission fields, resonate with the teachings developed in this video: those of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, of Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, Ecclesiastical Assistant of CHARIS, and also of Mgr Angelo Vincenzo Zani, then Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education. They aim to promote a more fraternal humanity, a universal and welcoming solidarity, concrete entrepreneurial, ecological and social commitments in the breath of the Spirit, and for the coming of the Kingdom of God on Earth.
Our next events to work together on
We would like to continue to highlight the various projects and activities of the Charismatic Renewal in the world in favour of human promotion. Therefore, we would like to collect all the information on this topic during the next year through the national CHARIS services, and also complete our website with further 3-minute videos dedicated to social action. In early November 2023, we also want to promote a day of action in Rome with people living on the streets, in collaboration with the CHARIS Youth Commission and the Kkotongnae Community. Other events are being planned for mid-2024 in Africa (in Uganda in particular) with the Youth Commission, on the theme “Charismatic Renewal and Human Promotion”. For more information, please contact: humanpromotioncommission@charis.international
François Prouteau
CHARIS Human Promotion Commission Coordinator