Caritas volunteers prepare food in Catania, Italy during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters: Antonio Parrinello)
The Roman Catholic Church's worldwide charity arm sharply criticised US President Donald Trump's cuts to foreign aid on Monday, saying his plans to end funding for relief agency USAID will have a "catastrophic" impact in the developing world.
"The ruthless and chaotic way this callous decision is being implemented threatens the lives and dignity of millions," Caritas Internationalis, a Vatican-based confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social services organisations working in more than 200 countries, said in a statement.
A number of these groups received money from USAID and other US government funds for various international programs.
Venezuelans receive plates of food from a Caritas kitchen in Colombia. (Reuters: Carlose Eduardo Ramirez)
USAID is Washington's primary humanitarian aid agency. It has been a top target of a government reduction program spearheaded by billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk since the Republican president took office on January 20.
The Trump administration said on Friday it would keep 611 essential workers on board at the agency, out of a worldwide total of more than 10,000 employees, but a federal judge temporarily blocked some of the lay-offs.
The US State Department last month issued a "stop-work" order for all existing foreign assistance programs. In the 2023 fiscal year, the United States disbursed, partly via USAID, $US72 billion ($115 billion) of aid worldwide.
USAID has been a top target of Elon Musk's government efficiency drive. (Reuters: Kent Nishimura)
In its statement, Caritas said the cuts would "kill millions of people and condemn hundreds of millions more to lives of dehumanising poverty". The cuts will make the agency "completely reassess whom we can continue to serve and how", it said.
World's richest man wants poorest cut off from crucial US aid
Photo shows A young woman holds a swaddled infant in her arms as she sits on a patio leading into a dark home.
Other Catholic charity agencies are also known to be reassessing their global aid efforts.
US-based Catholic Relief Services, which has about 5,000 employees, told staffers last week to expect lay-offs because of the administration's cuts to their foreign aid grants.
The organisation has a $US1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) budget, with about half funded by USAID.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has also laid off 50 staffers at its national office in Washington, because of cuts to federal grants for work on migration and refugee resettlement issues.
Pope Francis himself has not commented on the aid cuts, but has been sharply critical of some of Mr Trump's priorities, such as plans to deport millions of migrants, which he has called a "disgrace".
Reuters