It began as a Catholic response to the spread of fascism in Europe, exposed colonial atrocities in Africa and Asia, and spoke up for the environment and against the stigma of Aids. As Progressio prepares to shut its doors, a former staff member charts its changing fortunes

The announcement that the aid charity Progressio is to close early next year heralds the end of 76 years of a distinctive Catholic contribution to international justice and peace.

The organisation began in 1940 as the Sword of the Spirit and in 1965 became the Catholic Institute for International Relations. The words of the then Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Arthur Hinsley, at its launch on 1 August 1940 could serve as its credo: “We will never lose sight of the kinship and love which ought to bind human beings to one another.” Its history, to 1980, is well described by Michael Walsh in From Sword to Ploughshare, available on the Progressio website.

The original purpose of the Sword was to demonstrate Catholic opposition to fascism in its various forms and to counteract the impression given by the Catholic hierarchies in Germany, Italy and Spain that Catholics were inclined to support such movements. The initiative came from a group of Catholic intellectuals, including the historian Christopher Dawson and the economist Barbara Ward.