THE FIRST international council meeting of the Society of St Vincent de Paul to be held in Ireland took place yesterday and expressed an optimistic outlook for the lay Catholic charity.
The annual two-day internal meeting is usually in Paris – where the organisation was founded in 1833. However, the society’s newly elected president, Dr Michael Thio, said he wanted a new beginning to mark the first council meeting of his six-year term.
Dr Thio said he chose Dublin as the location because of the city’s history of “very strong assistance to less affluent countries”.
The meeting – which continues today in the Emmaus Retreat and Conference Centre in Swords – has brought 55 international members of the charity to Dublin.
Dr Thio said one of the key points would be the cycle of poverty. “One of our main aims is systemic change. We need to change the way the poor are living and give them back the dignity of a human person. This can be achieved through education, micro-financing and self-help programmes.” Speaking about the general outlook in the face of the recession, he said he was surprised at how many people continued to donate their money and time.
Despite an increase in “the new poor” in Ireland, Dr Thio praised Ireland for continuing to be a world leader in overseas aid.
The national president of the society in Ireland, Mairéad Bushnell, welcomed the international council, saying it was “a reflection of the esteem the SVP and its 9,500 volunteers in Ireland are held by the organisation throughout the world”.