CBCP head: Caritas revamp long overdue since Tagle appointment to higher post

An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines yesterday said the leadership revamp in the Catholic Church charity arm — Caritas Internationalis — is long overdue.

Caloocan City Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP president, said they already expected Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to be replaced since his appointment as Vatican's Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in December 2019.

"Good heavens, those are two full-time jobs that cannot possibly be handled by one person," David said.

He said it is a "long overdue reorganization" of the Catholic charity arm, as part of reforms within all administrative entities (Roman Curia) of the Holy See indicated in the newly implemented church constitution known as the 'Praedicate evangelium':

"The reorganization applies not just to Caritas, but to all the offices in the Roman Curia. It just took a longer time with Caritas because it is a huge network," he added.

Meanwhile, Tagle on Wednesday welcomed the reorganization and expressed optimism in pushing for internal reforms.

"This decision of the Holy Father came after a careful and independent study of the working environment of the Secretariat and the governance exercised by responsible persons and bodies," said Tagle, who is Vatican's Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization.

He assured that the order from Pope Francis has been carefully considered and that the changes were not brought by issues of sexual abuse and financial mismanagement.

"For this reason, the decree states that the Secretariat, hopefully, will be prepared to assist you members and operate in a manner consistent with best practices and Gospel values," said Tagle, former Archbishop of Manila.

In a decree issued by the Vatican on Monday, Pope Francis has instated Dr. Pier Francesco Pinelli as Caritas' temporary administrator and will be supported by Caritas Advocacy and Campaigns Head Maria Amparo Alonso Escobar in managerial and policy decisions.

Tagle, who was president of Caritas for two terms since 2015, will also have a similar role as Pinelli's aide who will connect with Caritas member organizations and local churches.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

With the new assignments reportedly only temporary, the Vatican said there will be revisions in Caritas' 'current regulatory framework' in preparation for the scheduled General Assembly in May 2023.

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said the changes have been made to improve the management of the Church's charity arm.

"Real deficiencies were noted in management and procedures, seriously prejudicing team spirit and staff morale," it said

It added: "No evidence emerged of financial mismanagement or sexual impropriety, but other important themes and areas for urgent attention emerged from the panel's work.