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Tagle reiterates sacking of Caritas leadership not about sexual abuse, financial mismanagement


The removal of the entire leadership of Roman Catholic Church's worldwide charity arm Caritas Internationalis (CI) was not due to sexual abuse and financial management, its president Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said on Tuesday.

Tagle made the statement during a plenary meeting in Rome this week as he read the Pope's decree directing the sackings of Caritas' executives including him, Vatican News reported.

"I would like to assure you that this is not, this is not, this is not about sexual harassment or sexual abuse. This is not about, again, mismanagement of money … the decree clearly stated the intention,” he added.

According to him, the move was a call for “walking humbly with God” and “a process of discernment.”

"This is a call for walking humbly with God and a process of discernment, confronting our unfreedoms and following the spirit of freedom, [and] at the same time, the walking together of different cultures in their unique expressions of humanity,” he said.

Tagle will step down as Caritas president but he will still assist newly installed commissioner Dr Pier Francesco Pinelli in keeping the charity’s relations and election of a new leadership next year.

A separate statement from the Vatican's development department, which oversees Caritas, said a review of the workplace environment by external management and psychological experts found malaise and bad management practices at its headquarters, according to a report of Reuters.

One staffer told Reuters of cases of verbal abuse, favoritism, and general human resources mismanagement that had led some staff to leave.

"No evidence emerged of financial mismanagement or sexual impropriety, but other important themes and areas for urgent attention emerged from the panel's work," the statement from the development office said. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA Integrated News

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