Caritas Internationalis president emeritus Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will be among those who will oversee the changes in the Church’s charity arm.
In an interview with Church-run Radio Veritas on Wednesday, Tagle said Pope Francis’ move is a challenge to everyone who continues to unite in the journey as a Church.
“This is a call for walking humbly with God and a process of discernment, confronting our unfreedoms and following the spirit of freedom, [and] at the same time, the walking together of different cultures in their unique expressions of humanity,” he said.
In a decree issued on Monday, the pontiff has annulled all positions of the organization.
“In order to improve the fulfillment of this mission, it would appear necessary to revise the current regulatory framework to make it more appropriate to the statutory functions of the organization and to prepare it for the elections to be held at the next general assembly. With the fervent wish to facilitate the envisaged renewal of the Institution,” a part of Pope Francis’ statement read.
Meanwhile, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) said the change of leadership in the organization is not due to corruption and sexual impropriety but rather an adjustment toward a better program that the Church can implement.
“Real deficiencies were noted in management and procedures, seriously prejudicing team-spirit and staff morale,” it said.
The Vatican has appointed Dr. Pier Francesco Pinelli as the temporary administrator of Caritas Internationalis.
He will be assisted by Maria Amparo Alonso Escobar, the current Head of Advocacy of Caritas Internationalis, and Fr. Manuel Morujão S.J. for the personal and spiritual accompaniment of the staff.
The move by Pope Francis is in accordance with the new apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium where the DPIHD is assigned to oversee the charities of the Catholic Church, including Caritas Internationalis.
Pinelli and Tagle will prepare the process of selecting the group’s leaders in 2023.
Caritas Internationalis was founded in 1951 and consists of 162 charitable institutions in 200 countries. (PNA)
