Pope Fires Leadership Of Largest Charity

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

VATICAN CITY (Worthy News) – The Vatican is reeling after the pope fired the leadership of one the Catholic Church’s largest charities, citing concerns about their management style.

“You wonder who is next,” a Vatican source told Worthy News after Pope Francis dismissed the entire leadership of Caritas Internationalis.

Instead, he appointed a commissioner to run the Catholic organization, saying it needed to revise its charter before elections for new leaders next year.

Caritas Internationalis is a hub for 162 charitable organizations in 200 countries aimed at serving the poor and most vulnerable, including persecuted Christians and others.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development oversees it.

A review by an independent panel on Caritas Internationalis’ workplace environment found no evidence of financial mismanagement or sexual impropriety but warned of other management problems.

It said essential themes and areas for urgent attention included “Real deficiencies noted in management and procedures, seriously prejudicing team-spirit and staff morale.”

The conclusions didn’t please the pope, who rushed to dismiss Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Caritas’ president, and Aloysius John, the secretary-general. The organization’s vice president, treasurer, ecclesiastical assistant, and members of the executive council and board of directors also resigned.

In his decree, the pope named Pier Francesco Pinelli the temporary administrator of Caritas. He will be assisted by Maria Amparo Alonso Escobar, a Caritas veteran, and the Reverend Manuel Morujão, the Jesuit provincial of Portugal.

Ironically, Pinelli was a consultant for Caritas, who headed the panel condemning the Caritas management style.

The pope’s actions are seen as unprecedented and come amid the pontiff’s pledge to reform the leadership of a Church that he says needs to open up for the vulnerable of society.

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