It was established by the Italian Bishops' Conference to promote overall human development, social justice, and peace, especially focusing on helping the poorest members of society.

[2] In 1970 Pope Paul VI dissolved the Italian Pontificia Opera Missionaria (POA, Pontifical Missionary Work), a charity that had been supported by American Roman Catholics and which reported directly to the Apostolic See.

[7] Three years later, Naples hosted the first national meeting between Church and lay people whose title was "Volunteering and human promotion", dedicated to the arising questions of the socalled Third Sector.

[8] On 10 June 1977, Caritas Italiana and the Italian Ministry of Defence signed an agreement which added the former Pontificia Opera Missionaria to the list of entities where conscientious objectors could perform their civil service.

In 2021, almost 1.5 million interventions were provided, and the organisation's listening centers gave support to 227,566 people (7.7% more than the previous year).