ROME (RVA News): Caritas Asia, one of seven regional offices of Caritas Internationalis, reelected Dr. Benedict Alo D’Rozario of Bangladesh, as its president on May 10, during the Caritas Regional Assembly in Rome, a day before the 22nd General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis.
He will serve for a second and last term of another four years.
D’Rozario was first elected to the post in 2019, making him the first lay person to fill the role, succeeding Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo.
The 66-year-old D’Rozario served in Caritas Bangladesh for 29 years before retiring in 2016 having been the agency’s executive director for 11 years.
“I am very thankful to God and very grateful to the members of Caritas Asia for reelecting me. I will try my level best to honor their trust in me and take this opportunity to serve Asian peoples of different countries with humility and following Catholic social and moral teaching,” D’Rozario said.
More than 400 delegates from Caritas organisations worldwide are currently in Rome to vote for a new leadership. Positions to be filled include president, general secretary and treasurer.
Last year, Pope Francis placed the Caritas Internationalis management under temporary administration to supposedly improve its management rules and procedures. He appointed Dr. Pier Francesco Pineli as temporary administrator.
The pope also named Dr. Maria Amparo Alonso Escobar and Jesuit Father Manuel Morujão as support to Pinelli “for the personal and spiritual accompaniment of the employees.”
Throughout the period, they were assisted by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, president emeritus of Caritas Internationalis, who was responsible for relations with the local Churches and Caritas’ network.
Caritas Asia, composed of 24 regional offices, is part of Caritas Internationalis, which coordinates more than 160 Catholic charities in about 200 countries and territories.
