An investigation by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Human Development, presided over by Cardinal Michel Czerny, has detected failures in personnel management in the structure of Caritas internationalis that have led to negative labor consequences in the organization, according to the Holy See, which announced that the Pope has dismissed those in charge and appointed an extraordinary commissioner for management.
Thus, Francis has dismissed all the senior officials of Caritas Internationalis – the members of the Council of Representation and of the Executive Council, the president, the vice-presidents, the secretary general, the treasurer and the ecclesiastical assistant – and has assigned all the competencies of governance to the extraordinary commissioner Pier Francesco Pinelli, who will be assisted by Dr. Maria Amparo Alonso Escobar and Jesuit Father Manuel Morujão.
The Pope has signed a decree that subjects the Catholic body that coordinates the international network of 162 charitable organizations of the Church to a «temporary commissary». The figure of Pinelli is to review the «normative framework» of Caritas Internationalis to «improve» its mission in the world at the service of the poorest and neediest, «in the light of the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church».
With regard to the investigation, although failures in labor management are pointed out, economic mismanagement or inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature are ruled out. In fact, it is affirmed that the financial management was «correct» and the fundraising objectives «were achieved». In this sense, it is assured that the main objectives of the audit were to intervene in the «labor welfare» within the structure and in the «alignment with the Catholic values of human dignity and respect for every person».
The investigation was carried out by an independent commission chaired by Pinelli himself and assisted by a team of psychologists. The results showed «deficiencies in management procedures with negative effects also on team spirit and staff morale». Caritas Internationalis staff, as well as former employees and collaborators, were interviewed.
UPDATING STATUTES AND REGULATIONS The new interim leadership of Caritas Internationalis will have to update both the Statutes and the Regulations of the Church agency that manages humanitarian assistance projects in many countries «to make them more functional and effective» in view of the next General Assembly, scheduled for May 2023.
In this last task, as specified in the decree signed by the Pope, the extraordinary commissioner will be assisted by Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, until now president of Caritas, «who will take special care of relations with the local Churches and with the Member Organizations of Caritas Internationalis».
