Temporary Caritas chief cites Tagle’s ‘good work’
THE newly appointed temporary administrator of Caritas Internationalis has recognized the important work done by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle during his two terms as president emeritus of the global confederation of Catholic charities.
“Cardinal Tagle represents a point of reference for my work and his support is precious in ensuring that all Caritas members participate in this journey,” Pier Francesco Pinelli said in his message posted on the Caritas official website on Saturday.
Pinelli issued the statement days after being appointed by Pope Francis as the temporary commissioner of Caritas Internationalis.
He said Tagle will continue to “play a major role” in carrying forward and strengthening the mission of the Caritas.
“[Cardinal Tagle] will be particularly responsible for relations with the local churches and national Caritas organizations,” said Pinelli.
Tagle will carry out these duties alongside his main job at the Vatican as the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, which is presided over by the pope.
He noted that the work to lay the foundations for the renewal process of the General Secretariat of Caritas Internationalis has begun.
It will end with the General Assembly in May 2023.
“The renewal of Caritas Internationalis is part of the ecclesial reform promoted by Pope Francis, which includes the overhaul of all the institutions so that they can, each according to its purpose, concretely serve the Church’s mission,” Pinelli pointed out.
On November 22, Pope Francis issued a decree that ordered the appointment of a temporary administrator of Caritas Internationalis following a review of its operations by an independent panel.
According to the Vatican, during the temporary administration, all the current leadership appointments will cease.
This includes the position of Cardinal Tagle, whose second term as president emeritus of Caritas Internationalis was to end in May. He succeeded Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga in 2015.
The Vatican already stressed that Tagle was not involved in the dayto-day operations of the Church’s missionary arm.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development also clarified that the move by Pope Francis has nothing to do with corruption and sexual abuse, but is an adjustment to Caritas Internationalis to improve the implementation of programs, especially for the most needy in society.
In the same decree, apart from helping Pinelli, Pope Francis also instructed Cardinal Tagle to contact each social arm of the dioceses around the world.
Pontificio Collegio Filippino (PCF) Rector Fr. Gregory Ramon Gaston also clarified that the pope did not dismiss Cardinal Tagle.
He actually renewed and relaunched Caritas at the end of the term of the Filipino cardinal, who began serving Caritas Internationalis in 2015.
“It seems that Cardinal [Luis Antonio] Tagle’s work has increased; as then President of Caritas International, he had a full-time staff at the Vatican. This was from when he was the Archbishop of Manila until he was made the head of one of the biggest departments of the Vatican,” said Fr. Gaston.
The PCF Rector explained that Tagle will further expand the service of the social arm of the Catholic Church because it is no longer focused on the central office in the Vatican.
Fr. Gaston also urged the Filipino faithful to pray for the former archbishop of Manila as he has been entrusted by Pope Francis with various tasks and offices in the Vatican.
“So let’s really pray for Cardinal Tagle because he has so many assignments in different offices of the Vatican. As well as various church groups, governments, private organizations and individuals around the world, many also want to talk and consult with Cardinal Tagle,” he said on Saturday.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 national Caritas agencies operating in over 200 countries and territories around the world.