15 MAY 23

The 22^nd General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis (May 11-16) taking place in Rome has, on the evening of May 13, elected Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi as the new President of Caritas Internationalis to serve the Confederation over the next four years. 

Archbishop of Tokyo, Rev. Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi SVD, is the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan and the Secretary General of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).  

He has worked with Caritas organisation since 1995, starting from a volunteer in Refugees’ Camp in Bukavu, then Zaire. He served as the Executive Director of Caritas Japan from 1999 to 2004 and the president of Caritas Japan from 2007 to 2022. He was also the president of Caritas Asia from 2011 to 2019, a member of the Caritas Internationalis Executive Committee from 1999 to 2004, and a member of the Representative Council from 2011 to 2019. He has been serving as Archbishop of Tokyo since his appointment in 2017. 

“Caritas must be in the front line to receive, accompany, serve and defend the poor and vulnerable. This mission must be upheld and capture all attentions of the Members of the Confederation and I would like to be the one to lead entire organization to fulfill this important mission of the Church together with the Secretary General. All are invited to walk together,” he said yesterday, addressing the 400 Caritas delegates from all over the world. 

"Archbishop Kikuchi has a long history with Caritas in a range of leadership roles – he knows our Federation very well. As a former missionary, he has lived the Caritas Misson to help and serve. We welcome his appointment as President and look forward to receiving his knowledge and guidance as Caritas journeys through a time of unprecedented challenges across our world,” said Richard Landels, Advancement Director at Caritas Australia.  

CONTACT: Jessica Stone 0490 684 867 / Jessica.stone@caritas.org.au

ENDS