Caritas helps out.

Vatican City--The nation of East Timor gained its independence from Indonesia in 2002, but ran into trouble in June 2006. The sacking of 600 soldiers in March 2006 precipitated factional fighting and riots among the civilian population, leading to widespread homelessness and scarcity of food. At the government's request, 2000 Australian troops arrived in Dili, the East Timorese capital, to help restore order.

The Australian branch of the Vatican-based aid charity, Caritas International, has been at the fore with relief efforts for the population, a large proportion of whom are Catholic. They are coordinating efforts with Caritas Dili, Caritas New Zealand, the US-based Catholic Relief Services, and the Irish-based organization Trocaire.

Caritas was also active in delivering aid after an earthquake struck the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta in May. The quake is estimated to have killed 5,800 people. Archbishop Ignatius Surharyo of Semarang visited the site shortly afterwards bringing with him the Caritas assessment team. In addition to delivering emergency relief, Caritas and its partner agencies in Indonesia are preparing a more long-term program of housing reconstruction in the stricken area.

Caritas International is at work in 102 countries.