The election follows a period of turmoil that led Pope Francis to remove the previous leadership team. Caritas Internationalis is keen to build a future and wants to move forward together.

Archbishop Kikuchi takes over from a highly regarded predecessor, Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Kikuchi's involvement with Caritas dates back to 1995, when he began as a volunteer at a refugee camp in Bukavu, now part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He later served as the executive director and president of Caritas Japan from 1994 to 2004 and 2007 to 2022, respectively. Additionally, he was president of Caritas Asia from 2011 to 2019 and was a member of various Caritas committees.

Before becoming president, Kikuchi served as the Archbishop of Tokyo since 2017.

His early years as a missionary in Ghana acquainted him with the challenges faced by remote communities, aligning well with Caritas's work in serving marginalised populations.

First woman vice president

During the announcement of the new leadership team, the attention focused on Kirsty Robertson, who assumed the role of Caritas Internationalis's first woman vice president.

Robertson, the head of Caritas Australia, emphasised the significance of women's representation at all levels of the organisation.

"It is only right and just, I think, to see the face of women at all levels in our confederation," she told reporters.

"The face of poverty is the face of a woman."

The newly appointed secretary-general, Alistair Dutton, who will lead the daily operations of Caritas Internationalis expressed a forward-looking attitude, emphasising the importance of learning from the past and focusing on the future.

He says that it is time the Church's global charity network focused on its mission of helping the world's poor.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, he pointed to situations like the wars in Ukraine and Sudan and the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

Dutton told the journalists that these are the kinds of situations where Caritas needs to focus its efforts and supply Christian humanitarian assistance.

Dutton replaces Aloysius John, a French citizen of Indian descent who was ousted in November after staff at the Caritas headquarters complained of a toxic work environment.

On the eve of the general assembly, John accused the Vatican of staging a "brutal power grab" fuelled by a "colonialist" attitude of northern, wealthy Caritas chapters over poorer ones in the developing world.

As Archbishop Kikuchi assumes his new role, he has urged Caritas staff and volunteers to be witnesses of God's love in all their endeavours, whether in administration or in the field.

Sources

AP News

Crux Now

CathNews New Zealand

La Croix International

Speaking at a week-long meeting in Rome of the global confederation of 162 national Caritas chapters, Czerny (pictured) explained that the move was necessary for the well-being of staff at Caritas and was not a condemnation of its work.

"I am sure that all of you were surprised and disturbed by this," Czerny told the audience.

"The appointment of a temporary administrator was an act of love and care, not a denunciation ... It was a necessary call to repair and fine-tune a body that is essential for the whole church."

The November decision saw Francis fire Caritas secretary-general Aloysius John, president Filipino Cardinal Antonio Tagle, Tagle's vice presidents, the treasurer, and ecclesiastic assistant.

The move came after an external investigation revealed "real deficiencies" in management that had affected staff morale at the Caritas secretariat in Rome.

While there was no evidence of financial wrongdoing or sexual misconduct, former employees described a toxic workplace environment under John, where staff were bullied, harassed and humiliated.

Several quit, giving up sought-after income tax-free Vatican employment rather than remain in abusive conditions.

Czerny insisted that the dismissals were necessary and appropriate and were by no means a criticism of Caritas or its work providing emergency aid and development assistance to the neediest worldwide.

The cardinal explained that the investigation had "revealed patterns of workplace relationships and processes that prevented the general secretariat from operating properly; furthermore, they undermined the well-being of staff.

They put the operations, name and reputation at risk, not only of Caritas Internationalis but of all Caritas."

"Brutal power grab"

On the eve of the Caritas assembly to elect new leaders, John wrote an open letter to the Caritas representatives, criticising Czerny's office for a "brutal power grab" and casting his ouster in racial terms.

John, a French citizen of Indian descent, said that the wealthier donor countries from the "North" had never wanted a Caritas secretary-general from the "South" and wanted to impose their will on the confederation.

On Saturday, Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo was elected as the organisation's new president.

He will hold office for four years and may be reelected for a second term.

Addressing the assembly's 400 delegates, the archbishop stressed that Caritas "must be in the front line to receive, accompany, serve and defend the poor and vulnerable."

"This mission must be upheld and capture all attention of the members of the confederation, and I would like to be the one to lead the entire organisation to fulfil this important mission of the Church together with the Secretary-General," Kikuchi said.

"All are invited to walk together."

Sources

AP News

CBCP News

CathNews New Zealand