Caritas Confederation Re-elects President and Secretary General

Vatican City - 10 July, 2003. - Delegates from over 150 national Caritas organisations from around the world have been participating at the 17th General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis held in Rome this week. Yesterday, Msgr Fouad El-Hage, the Archbishop of Tripoli in Lebanon, and Duncan MacLaren were elected as President and Secretary General, respectively, of Caritas Internationalis for a further four-year mandate.

Archbishop El-Hage, the Archbishop of the Lebanese (Maronite) archdiocese of Tripoli since 1997, was elected as President of Caritas Internationalis in 1999, when he took over from Msgr Alfonso Felipe Gregory, the bishop of Emperatriz in Brazil. Duncan MacLaren, a Scottish layman, became Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis four years ago after serving as Secretary General of Caritas Scotland.

During the assembly, the following representatives of the seven regions that make up the Caritas Internationalis confederation were also elected as vice-presidents: Claudette Habesch, for the Middle East and North Africa (MONA); Msgr Gregorio Rosa Chávez, auxiliary bishop of El Salvador for Latin America and the Caribbean; Denis Viénot for Europe; Hilton Deakin for Oceania; Geraldine Sicola for North America; Msgr Jean Bosco Ntep, bishop of Cameroon, for Africa; and Msgr Lawrence Semanchit from Thailand for Asia.

Melding fra Caritas Internationalis
10. juli 2003