MUMBAI, India – A cardinal heading the Vatican’s chief aid agency says “making any drastic change in policy, especially the policy affecting millions of people overseas, should be done with caution and concern for precious gift of God, human dignity,” when speaking about U.S. President Donald Trump’s pausing funds to USAID.

On Jan. 27, the federal Office of Management and Budget issued a memo instructing federal agencies to temporarily pause their spending to review whether or not it aligned with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. The memo was then rescinded on Jan. 29, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarifying the funding freeze would continue.

The review puts trillions of dollars on the line for entities like nonprofit organizations and states.

“Our main concern is to protect all life, regardless of nationality or religion as we believe human life is sacred gift from God and that the dignity of the human person has to be protected without any exception,” said Japanese Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, the president of Caritas Internationalis.

“I just wish that the U.S. government would give more consideration to the degree of negative effect caused by the decision over millions of people especially those in vulnerable situation or facing life threatening situations,” he told Crux.

Caritas Internationalis made a statement on the present situation regarding USAID on 10 February, recognizing “the right of any new administration to review its foreign aid strategy.”

“Stopping USAID abruptly will kill millions of people and condemn hundreds of millions more to lives of dehumanizing poverty. This is an inhumane affront to people’s God-given human dignity, that will cause immense suffering. Killing USAID also presents massive challenges for all of us in the global humanitarian community, who will have to completely reassess whom we can continue to serve and how,” said Alistair Dutton, the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis.

“Our immediate focus is working collaboratively with our partners and allies globally to reduce the impact of the freeze and ensure continued support for as many vulnerable people as we can. The lives and dignity of millions hang in the balance. We call on governments, international agencies, and stakeholders to speak out and strongly urge the U.S. Administration to reverse these dangerous measures,” Dutton added.

Kikuchi told Crux with USAID accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total global aid budget at this moment of history and having a long history of friendly collaboration with the UN agencies, multilateral organizations, faith-based organizations as well as national governments reliant on bilateral aid, “all face severe operational setbacks as long-term planning had been made already.”

“Of course, when we foresee future of the Global South countries, as Caritas is making ‘Turn Debt Into Hope’ global campaign in this Holy Year, dependency on foreign aid should be minimized and the Global South countries have to be capacitated to be self-reliant in order to decide their own destiny for good of their own people,” the cardinal said.

“However, present international relations and effects of the environmental degradation requires mutual support and assistance, especially for emergency relief assistance to protect all life,” he added.

Kikuchi also mentioned Pope Francis’s letter to the U.S. bishops this week, outlining the views for Catholics on immigration and aid issues.

“As Holy Father wrote in his recent letter to the bishops of the U.S., ‘the true Ordo Amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception,” the cardinal said.