Following an organizational review of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada to improve its collaboration with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, implementation of the resulting recommendations will begin this fall.
The organizational review was conducted by the firm Deloitte and involved the participation of staff and members of Development and Peace, as well as staff of the CCCB and Bishops across Canada. The results of the analysis suggested 14 recommendations, which were then integrated into the four following workstreams to facilitate the implementation process:
- Criteria for international partnerships
- Governance structure and reporting
- Communications and crisis management
- Organizational culture within Development and Peace
The recommendations of the report were accepted by Development and Peace’s National Council in November 2019, and several meetings between the Executive Committees of the CCCB and Development and Peace took place to discuss the expectations of both parties in the implementation of the recommendations and agree to a process.
“Throughout these discussions, we never lost sight of Development and Peace’s mission to serve the poorest and most vulnerable of our world and to build God’s kingdom of peace and justice,” says Evelyne Beaudoin, President of Development and Peace. “We all agree on the vital importance of preserving the identity of our organization as rooted in the Church’s social teachings and embodied in and through acts of solidarity, and we agreed to move forward in the vision of Pope Francis of a synodal Church”
It was also agreed that Development and Peace’s National Council will be reduced from 21 to 15 members, with 11 elected representatives from Development and Peace and four Bishops from the CCCB. The following four Bishops, representing also the four regions, will join the National Council at its next meeting in November 2020:
- Most Rev. William McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary and Co-treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (West)
- Rev. Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and Co-Treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (Quebec)
- Most Rev. Peter Hundt, Archbishop of St. John’s, Member of the CCCB Permanent Council (Atlantic)
- Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Pembroke (Ontario)
Each Bishop will also serve on one of the four working committees put in place to implement the recommendations for each of the above-mentioned workstreams. Each committee will be chaired by a member of the management team of Development and Peace. In addition to the participation of a Bishop, each committee will be composed of members of the National Council and staff of the CCCB. The four working committees will report to an oversight committee composed of two Bishops and two members of the Executive Committee of the National Council.
Preparatory meetings will take place over the summer with the formal work of the working committees to begin in September. The working committees will be assisted by the firm Deloitte, and the implementation process is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020. Regular progress reports will be communicated throughout the process.
“We are pleased with the progress of the collaborative conversations and joint meetings.” says the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and CCCB President. “We are hopeful that, as we begin this new chapter of greater and more far-reaching collaboration and alignment between the Bishops of Canada and CCODP – Caritas Canada, much good fruit will ensue in our outreach to the poor and those most in need. The necessary changes to be made, as well as the goodwill and hard work they entail, will help the Church radiate its mission to the world.”
