THE decree issued by Pope Francis revamping Caritas International has caught Caritas Philippines by surprise.
In a statement issued yesterday, Caritas Philippines President Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said they were not expecting the decision of the Pope to reorganize Caritas International and remove its current officials, including its Filipino president, Cardinal Tagle.
“The decree was unexpected and a big surprise,” said Bagaforo, who is in a two-day conference in Rome being attended by over 100 Caritas representatives from all over the world.
It came as a surprise, he said, because the organization’s financial matters have been well-handled and fundraising goals regularly achieved.
“We would like to reiterate that the reorganization is not due to corruption or mismanagement of funds,” said Bagaforo, adding they support Pope Francis’ move to further improve Caritas International’s operations.
He said the revamp will result in a better process to serve its member charitable organizations around the world.
“We welcome the decision of the Holy Father with the hope that Caritas would truly be faithful to its identity and mandate. We believe it is for the good of Caritas and its people,” said Bagaforo.
He added the reorganization comes at a perfect time with leaders of different Caritas organizations currently in Rome.
“The timing was good because most of us are here with the opportunity for realignment of its internal structure and standard operating procedures,” said Bagaforo.
Last Tuesday night (Manila time), Pope Francis removed all incumbent Caritas International officials and tapped Dr. Pier Francesco Pinelli as temporary administrator.
The Pope’s directive is set to pave the way for the revision of Caritas’ current regulatory framework to make it more appropriate to the statutory functions of the organization and to prepare it for the elections to be held at the next General Assembly.
