Cardinal Tagle – Sicilians
Pope Francis Commissioner Caritas Internationalis (CI). A drastic measure, announced today with a decree signed on Monday, taken to encourage the “renewal” of the institution. The purpose is “improve” the accomplishment of the “mission” through “a revision of the current regulatory framework in order to make it more appropriate to the statutory functions of the Organizationas well as preparing the latter for the elections to be held during the next General Assembly” scheduled for next May.
Extraordinary commissioner was appointed Pier Francesco Pinelli who will be able to direct CI “with all the powers of government, in accordance with the common law and the Statutes and the Regulations of the Organization and with the full faculty to derogate from the latter, should he deem it appropriate or necessary”.
With the Decree, therefore, the members of the Representative Council and of the Executive Council, the President and the Vice Presidents, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and the Ecclesiastical Assistant cease from their respective offices. While Pinelli will be assisted in his duties by the Spanish Maria Amparo Alonso Escobar, current advocacy manager of CI, and supported by the Portuguese Jesuit Manuel Morujão “for the personal and spiritual accompaniment of employees”.
For the preparation of the next General Assembly he will then be joined by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, so far president of the institution, who “will take particular care of relations with the local Churches and with the Member Organizations of Caritas Internationalis”.
The Extraordinary Commissioner, finally states the Decree, “will act in agreement with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DSSUI)”, which according to the Apostolic Constitution of the Roman Curia Praedicate Evangelium is responsible for CI.
And just a distinct cThe press release of this Dicastery provides further elements on the pontifical provision. It explains that this year the DSSUI commissioned “an audit of the organization and working well-being of the General Secretariat of CI and alignment with the Catholic values of human dignity and respect for every person”. The verification was carried out “by a commission of independent experts”. In addition to Pinelli, Don Enrico Parolari and Francesca Busnelli, both psychologists, took part. The note explains that “CI personnel, but also former employees and collaborators were invited to participate in the audit”.
From the work carried out, it is specified, “no evidence emerged with respect to financial mismanagement or inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature”, but “at the same time, issues and areas that require urgent attention were highlighted”. Furthermore, “deficiencies have been identified relating to the management procedures with negative effects also on team spirit and staff morale”.
“In recent years we have seen a significant increase in the needs of the many people Caritas assists, and it is essential that Caritas Internationalis is well prepared to face these challenges”, is the comment of Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the DSSUI, reported in the press release.
The new commissioner Pinelli, explains the note from the DSSUI, “is a professional graduate in Engineering with a more humanist than technical way of proceeding, which he uses to solve complicated contexts, rolling up his hands with professionalism and common sense to immerse himself in the problems from which to solve emerge and enhance the positive aspects and correct what does not work”.
Pinelli, “formed in Ignatian spirituality, from an early age was active in the voluntary sector in the recovery from drug addiction, in development cooperation, in supporting missionary works and in catechesis”.
The Decree. The Pope commissioned Caritas Internationalis to “improve the mission”