Father Guerrero, a Spanish Jesuit and director of the Vatican’s Economic Secretariat, resigned as director for personal reasons related to his health. The Pope appointed Caballero, the secretary general of the secretariat, a layman, to take over the post. The Pope thanked Father Guerrero for his service.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis accepted the request of Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, head of the Vatican’s Economic Secretariat, to resign “for personal reasons”. This resignation is effective December 1. The Pope appointed Maximino Caballero Ledo, former Secretary General of the Vatican Economic Secretariat, to succeed Father Guerrero, who took office on the same day. In this way, Caballero became another lay person to head the Holy See’s institutions.
The Pope expressed his heartfelt thanks to Fr. Guerrero “for the dedication shown during the service of the Holy See,” the Holy See Press Room said. Fr. Guerrero “brilliantly put the economy in order and brought fruitful results to this difficult and laborious work. The Pope pledges his prayers”.
Along with the announcement, Fr Guerrero sent a letter to the staff and collaborators of the Vatican Secretariat for Economic Affairs. He explained his reasoning for this decision in the letter, “As you know, I had surgery this year and I will be undergoing treatment after surgery. It has had some side effects on me that make it particularly difficult for me to perform very strenuous tasks, For example, this one I am doing requires better physical strength and concentration than I do now.”
In his letter, Father Guerrero reviewed the road he has traveled in the past three years. He explained that he was “sad to leave, but at the same time grateful with all my heart to the Lord, the Holy Father and all the people in the ministry, and grateful that together they contributed to the economic reforms that Pope Francis demanded”. The outgoing director of the Vatican Economic Secretariat wrote, “In cooperation with other institutions of the Holy See, we jointly assist the Holy See in the economic institutions of the Holy See, in the transparency and credibility of the Holy See in economic matters. Important steps. We’re doing our part to create clearer rules, but there’s still a lot to do.”
Fr Guerrero explained that now we are entering a new phase that “needs a more capable person, especially one who can give his all”. The priest added, “We have experienced progress and setbacks in the reform process, but over the years we have seen real progress. Now, we are no longer where we started. I am sure that, with humility, you will In the spirit of service, continue your work, in cooperation with other institutions of the Holy See. The economy must always be the servant, never the master, especially in institutions like the Holy See”.
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