The Vatican Secretariat of State, led by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
has decided to replace Lesley-Anne Knight as secretary-general of
Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s consortium of relief and
development agencies.
“The Holy See wants a change in the way it works with Caritas and says
this requires a change in the person of the secretary-general,” Caritas
said in a statement.
Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Caritas’ president, lobbied
for the continuance of Knight in her position, according to the Caritas
statement, which said that Caritas’ leadership “deeply regrets the
decision of the Holy See.”
Knight had reportedly drawn the ire of some Vatican officials with
occasional blunt critical statements about the Church bureaucracy.
Perhaps more important, she was criticized for failing to ensure a
distinctive Catholic identity for Caritas.
“After four years [in office], the mandate of the present
secretary-general, Lesley Anne Knight, will end,” said Cardinal Robert
Sarah, the Guinea-born president of the Pontifical Cor Unum, which
oversees Caritas.
“In this time, Knight has done much to make the
confederation more agile and professional. Now Caritas Internationalis
is dealing with new internal challenges, including the revision of its
statutes. These challenges also involve internal collaboration, the
Catholic identity of the confederation, cooperation with the Holy See,
greater participation of the various continents, a proper understanding
of the autonomy of each Caritas member of the confederation.”