Pope Francis congratulates CRS on Rice Bowl's 50th anniversary

(OSV News) -- Pope Francis congratulated Catholic Relief Services on the 50th anniversary of CRS Rice Bowl, the Catholic relief agency's annual Lenten program dedicated to global hunger and poverty alleviation efforts.

CRS, the official international relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S., is marking the 50th anniversary of its Rice Bowl program this Lent, which has raised more than $350 million to support domestic and overseas poverty relief efforts. The organization has described that effort -- with its iconic cardboard donation box -- as more important than ever in light of a freeze on much U.S. foreign aid.

"I was pleased to learn that the Rice Bowl program of Catholic Relief Services is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary," Pope Francis wrote in a letter the group shared with media March 14. "On this auspicious occasion, I express my good wishes to all involved in this noble initiative as well as my gratitude for the faithful in the United States of America, who, through this service, assist the poorest and most vulnerable at home and abroad."

Pope Francis said that for five decades, during "the holy season of Lent, when the Church invites us to pray, fast, and give alms in preparation for the Easter celebrations," the Rice Bowl program "has offered a concrete way for Catholics to give alms as they seek to put their faith into action."

"When caring for our neighbor, we must always remember that charity is to be given without qualifications or limits, as Jesus teaches us in the parable of the Good Samaritan," he said, referring to the story in Luke's Gospel. "In doing so, we reflect the closeness, compassion, and tender love of God who cares for all of his children in the one human family."

CRS' Rice Bowl initiative combines the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to provide humanitarian aid, spiritual renewal and increased solidarity with those in need.

The funds -- 25% of which help local diocesan outreaches, with 75% benefiting CRS programs abroad -- support a mission that is "critical to millions," said Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, CRS board chair, in a March 5 statement from the organization.

The campaign, launched in 1975 by Msgr. Robert Coll as a local effort in the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, became a national initiative through its introduction at the Philadelphia-based 41st International Eucharistic Congress in 1976, and its subsequent adoption by the U.S. bishops through CRS.

The Covid-19 pandemic, Pope Francis said in his message, "reminded us that we are members of a global community, 'all in the same boat,' where the problems of others are the problems of all."

"With this in mind, we must continuously strive to help others realize that the serious challenges currently affecting so many of our brothers and sisters, including war, forced migration and hunger, concern all of us," he said. "Perhaps we could even invite others to compare their daily lives with those migrants and foreigners, so that they might learn how to understand better their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us in our own day."

The program is a reminder of "the importance of working together," he added.

In 2023, some 733 million people worldwide faced hunger, according to the United Nations' 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. Hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition have devastating physical and psychosocial consequences, including insufficient height and weight in children.

In June 2024, UNICEF said that growing inequality, conflict and climate concerns — along with the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic -- have left 181 million, or 1 in 4, children in severe food poverty, with the majority living in 20 countries. Of those, 64 million are in South Asia, and 59 million in sub-Saharan Africa.

"It is my hope therefore that the Rice Bowl program and other initiatives offered by Catholic Relief Services will continue to serve as examples of how to fulfill the Gospel's command to love and serve our neighbor in a communal way," Pope Francis said. "With these sentiments, I renew my best wishes as you celebrate this anniversary, and upon all who support the Rice Bowl program, I invoke Almighty God's blessings of wisdom, hope and strength."