One of the most important mottos of the German Caritas Association is: We strengthen the weakest in their crises. Worth knowing about Caritas and its development.
Freiburg – “Caritas” is Latin and means in German, among other things, “love”, “high esteem” or “charity”. The German Caritas Association (DCV) is the Catholic association of non-statutory welfare and Germany’s largest social employer in the country: A little more than 690,000 people work professionally in around 25,000 Caritas facilities and services nationwide. In its facilities and services, Caritas offers effective help for people in difficult circumstances. It also helps to shape social and socio-political development. The headquarters of the German Caritas Association is in Freiburg (with two main representations in Berlin and Brussels) and is responsible for representing the interests of Caritas at national and European level. Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa has been President of the German Caritas Association since November 2021. Before that, she had been a member of the board of directors since 2017, responsible for technical and social policy.
Caritas in Germany – the story
Seeing need, reacting to it and acting – this was the motto under which Prelate Lorenz Werthmann founded the Charity Association for Catholic Germany and thus laid the foundation for today’s work of Caritas in Germany. Further national Caritas organizations soon emerged in Switzerland (1901), in Austria (1903) and in the USA (Catholic Charities, 1910). In 1916, the Fulda Bishops’ Conference recognized the Caritas Association as a merger of the diocesan Caritas Associations into a unified organization. In 1922 all German dioceses had their own diocesan Caritas association. Even then, Caritas was the social movement of the Catholic Church and was based on the Christian message of charity. Through its social work, Caritas contributes to the credibility of the church in public and, together with its partners, strengthens solidarity and cohesion in society.
Caritas in Germany – Structures in Germany
The DCV headquarters with around 430 employees is based in Freiburg im Breisgau. It has its main representations in Berlin and Brussels, important locations for the representation of political interests. In the political dialogue, the head office campaigns for a society based on solidarity and develops its own concepts and models for more justice and cohesion in our society. It acts as an advocate for people who cannot effectively represent their interests and needs themselves. In this way, it influences political decisions, such as the design of social legislation or the framework conditions for social work in Germany and the European Union.
Caritas in Germany – the organs
The president
The President is elected by the Assembly of Delegates for a period of six years and represents the German Caritas Association in relation to the church and the public. He/She has the status of a separate body and chairs all decision-making bodies, except for the Finance Committee. The current President, Eva M. Welskop-Deffaa, is supported and advised by two Vice Presidents: Dr. Irme Stetter-Karp, Gaby Hagmanns and Heinz-Josef Kessmann.
The Assembly of Delegates
All member groups of the association are represented in the assembly of delegates with up to 199 members. The delegate assembly has all the rights and duties of a general assembly. It decides on fundamental questions of Caritas and elects the President and the Vice-Presidents. The delegates are elected for six years.
The Caritas Council
The Caritas Council has 30 voting members and oversees the Board of Directors. It makes important association-political decisions, approves the budget, accepts the budget report and relieves the Board of Directors. In addition to the President and the Secretary General (until mid-2023, then this office will cease to exist), the Caritas Council includes twelve chairpersons and directors of the diocesan Caritas associations, as well as representatives of the professional associations, associations, religious orders and the local level of Caritas. The Caritas Council is elected by the Assembly of Delegates.
The Finance Commission
The economic supervision and control within the Caritas Council is carried out by a finance commission with its own chairman.
Executive Board
The operative tasks of the entire association takes over executive board true, whose mandate is limited to six years. The current board consists of President Eva M. Welskop-Deffaa, who, in addition to the management of the association, is particularly responsible for the development of the association and the business area of technical and social policy; and Hans Jörg Millies, Secretary General and Board Member for Finance, Human Resources, Corporate Affairs and International Responsibility.
Caritas in Germany – numbers, dates, facts
Every two years, the headquarters of the German Caritas Association collects central statistics in cooperation with the diocesan Caritas Associations. The most recent Caritas survey from 2020 resulted in these figures, data and facts:
- 693,082 people work professionally in the 25,064 facilities and services that are affiliated with Caritas nationwide.
- Hundreds of thousands of volunteers support the full-time employees in their activities.
- In addition, there are 42,249 trainees and students, 4,875 volunteers doing their social year and 4,687 doing federal voluntary service.
- The number of institutions and services rose by 284 compared to the last survey, and the number of professional employees rose by 33,207.
- The proportion of women among Caritas employees is 81.9 percent.
- Of the professional employees, 281,953 work in health care facilities and services, 163,902 work in child and youth welfare, 124,498 in care for the elderly, 83,118 in care for the disabled/psychiatry, 33,848 in other social services and 5,763 in family support.
- 59 percent of all Caritas employees care for, accompany and look after people in inpatient facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes, 24 percent work in day-care facilities such as kindergartens or workshops for people with disabilities.
- Around thirteen million people turn to Caritas every year. They receive professional support based on their situation, their abilities, limitations and their self-determined goals. You will find new perspectives for the future.
Caritas in Germany – Caritas international
On the Caritas website it is precisely defined that the social movement of the Catholic Church is not “only” active within the German national borders: “Caritas Germany ensures survival in crises and disasters and creates perspectives for people who are particularly vulnerable.” Concretely means that the Caritas Federal Center also points out global causes and interactions of social problems and actively reacts to them. As a department of the DCV in Freiburg, the Caritas International relief organization provides worldwide emergency and disaster relief for German Caritas. One of the biggest tasks at the moment is organizing and implementing help for or supporting the victims of the Ukraine war with the help of financial donations, donations in kind, accommodation or as everyday companions.
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