On today's Catholic News podcast, Archbishop John Wilson joins us to talk about the launch of CARITAS Southwark - a new diocesan Caritas social action charity to help those in need across the south east.

Archbishop Wilson is keen to work collaboratively:

"This is not about a takeover. This is about creating a network whereby there can be a real celebration of good practise, and where new initiatives, especially in parishes and schools, can find support and direction from existing organisations and charities within the church, so that our diocese, within which there is enormous social need, can really start to put the practical gospel of love, of neighbour into practise in a new way.

"Starting small. We're sowing little seeds, but from little seeds come mighty oaks. And mighty oaks give shelter, especially to those who suffer and are in pain and in need. We come with faith and we come with a real desire to sow seeds today that will bear fruit in our practical love of those in need."

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Transcript

This is Archbishop John Wilson, the Archbishop of Southwark, and I'm very pleased to share news today of the launch of our Caritas Southwark network, which is a new thing for us in the Archdiocese. Today, thanks be to God, following a long process of consultation with people in our parishes and our schools, we've been able to formally launch Caritas Southwark as an agency of the diocese to put the Gospel into practise - to make the Gospel flesh. To reach out to the weakest and the poorest and those in need in our communities and ask the question, what can we do? How can we serve? How can we be the loving presence of Christ, that sees with the heart of Christ and the eyes of Christ, with the compassion of Christ, and meets the needs of people - whether it's to do with food poverty or issues around refugees, whether it's things to do with care of the elderly, we've got projects that we want to explore that look at how we help our young people, especially those who might be tempted, into areas that involve knife crime.

We're very, very keen to work collaboratively and in partnership and also to explore new ways of how we might work together. We've got very good relationships with Pact, for example, that works with prisoners in supporting the link between prisoners and their families. We've got good links with the Manna Society (a day centre for homeless people near London Bridge), which is based here in the diocese and which the diocese already supports.

So this is not about a takeover. This is about creating a network whereby there can be a real celebration of good practise, and where new initiatives, especially in parishes and schools, can find support and direction from existing organisations and charities within the church, so that our diocese, within which there is enormous social need, can really start to put the practical gospel of love, of neighbour into practise in a new way. Starting small. We're sowing little seeds, but from little seeds come mighty oaks. And mighty oaks give shelter, especially to those who suffer and are in pain and in need. We come with faith and w