This has resulted in the demoralising departure of its secretary general, Dr Lesley-Anne Knight, the renewal of whose four-year contract was blocked by Vatican officials.

There appear to be three elements at work: a turf war between Caritas and the Vatican department which deals with charitable activity, Cor Unum; a personality conflict, in that Dr Knight and Vatican officialdom have clearly failed to forge a good working relationship.

Thirdly, a difference of emphasis over policy, which has brought to light the Vatican's wish that Catholic relief and development agencies should develop a stronger Catholic identity.

There is little evidence to support a rumour on the internet that Dr Knight's real offence was to stand up for the Caritas-affiliated agency in Canada, which pro-life campaigners in North America had accused of being soft on abortion. If that was the issue, it would surely have been handled differently.

Dr Knight, a former senior official at Cafod's headquarters in London, was likely to have been re-elected unopposed had she been allowed to stand.

The recently re-elected president of Caritas, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, has spoken out strongly in her defence. Her successor, Michel Roy, who headed France's Caritas affiliate, Secours Catholique, shows no sign that he disagrees with her approach.

But the Vatican will press on with its intention to reform Caritas' constitution and create a "new profile", in the words of one official.

What this means is quite hazy, but it seems to refer to the wish that Caritas be seen to be clearly under the Holy See's control. There are two key ideas in tension here: the need to preserve Caritas' professionalism, and the need to incorporate it as part of the Church's core activity, so that it is a vehicle not just of Christian charity but also of evangelisation.

Source

• CathNews USA

Roy's election followed the Vatican withholding the nomination for a second term of the then current general secretary, Lesley-Anne Knight.

Immediately following his election, Roy addressed the assembly.

"I'm very moved by this. I'd like to thank Lesley-Anne for the work she's done so far and also all of you for the work that you do for this network which reflects the hopes of the poor to build a better world."

Roy's election comes at difficult time for Caritas.

• Lesley-Anne Knight was blocked by the Vatican from standing for a second four year term
• Dominican, Fr Timothy Radcliffe was dropped as a speaker at the conference and replaced by Fr Raniero Catalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical household
• The Vatican is now more involved Caritas' work

In his address, the Holy Father reminded delegates that

• Christian charity is not merely benevolent work, but a form of evangelisation and service to God's people
• without a transcendent foundation Caritas risks falling prey to harmful ideologies, and
• he encouraged Caritas to work in close collaboration with the Church's Bishops.

The organization has heard calls this week from various high-ranking cardinals urging it to improve its Catholic identity. These calls include Cardinal Robert Sarah, the head of the Vatican body responsible for Caritas, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

Opening of the general assembly, Caritas President, Cardinal Rodriguez said the way the Vatican handled Knight's case caused hurt among Caritas members.

Gaining about 75% of the votes, Rodriguez won a second four-year term as president.

"Caritas gives witness to God's love among us, a love for all people and especially for the poorest. Our experience and our formation of the heart through the encounter with Christ in the stranger and the marginalized transforms Caritas in its daily work into an authentic witness of God's love present in our world," he said.

Caritas' new priorities

Following his election Michel Roy outlined his top four priorities for Caritas International.

• The reinforcement of the humanitarian response of the Caritas network to the victims of man-made or natural disasters.
• The promotion and coordination of "integral human development," so that the poor can take their lives in their own hands and move forward.
• Advocacy for a better and more just world, putting the human back at being the centre.
• The improved coordination, access and communication among the members, so that each member participates in the promotion of the mission of the whole network.

Roy has 30 years experience working for Secours Catholique in France. He began by working for the diocesan office in Paris in 1981. He is a father of two children and is an alumnus of the Sorbonne University in Paris, graduating in economics and oriental languages.

According to Caritas, its leadership "deeply regrets the decision of the Holy See." The president of Caritas, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez de Maradiaga of Honduras, voiced his "incomprehension" at the decision. The organization's leadership bureau—Cardinal Rodríguez, Knight, the organization's treasurer and seven regional presidents—met with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone on Feb. 5, but they were unable to change the position of the Holy See on Knight's reappointment.

On Feb. 15, Cardinal Bertone wrote to the bishops' conferences of the world to explain that the Vatican was not going to renew Knight's mandate after the general assembly of Caritas in May. In the three-page letter, Cardinal Bertone said Caritas needed a stronger Catholic identity. The next four years, he explained, would focus on "harmonizing the theological dimension of Caritas Internationalis...with its role as an organization operating on the international stage." This would require, he said, greater cooperation with other ecclesial bodies and with Vatican dicasteries that have an "interest" in Caritas activities. Caritas's advocacy work, he explained, needs to be better coordinated "in strict cooperation with the Holy See, which is specifically competent in this regard." Read more: America Magazine - Special Report