The meeting will take place on 14 September in the Vatican, and it is expected to address issues around Darfur and inter-religious dialogue.

Darfur remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. There are currently 2.2 million displaced people there. People continue to be forced from their homes at a steady rate. An estimated 170,000 were displaced in the first half of 2007.

Caritas Internationalis has been responding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis, providing life-saving assistance and basic services through its member organisations and partners to over 300,000 people each year who have been affected by the four-year conflict.

Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Lesley Anne Knight said, "Caritas and its partners are witnesses to the appalling suffering of the people of Darfur. We know that only through a sustainable peace process and an end to violence committed by all sides can that suffering cease.

"The meeting between the Pope and the President of Sudan can be a step forward for the people of Sudan, and particularly of Darfur. It is an important opportunity for engagement and for the humanitarian crisis to be addressed."

Pope Benedict urged Sudan in June to work for an end to the conflict in Darfur, where 200,000 people have died in over four years of conflict, saying it was not too late for the country to find a solution through dialogue and cooperation.

Caritas believes peace in Darfur will only be achieved by establishing peace throughout the country through the political will of its rulers, based on their respect for all its people.

In 2005, the Government of Sudan and Sudanese People Liberation Army (SPLA) rebels signed a peace deal, ending twenty years of war in southern Sudan. However, Caritas says it is crucial that all sides respect this landmark agreement and it is not put at risk through inadequate implementation and lack of political commitment.

Caritas member agencies have been operating in Sudan through decades of conflict, working closely with the Sudanese Catholic Bishops Conference and with Sudanese NGOs to undertake relief and development activities across the country.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in 200 countries and territories.

Please contact Patrick Nicholson on 0039 06 698879725 or 0039 3343590770 or nicholson@caritas.va