At the helm: British woman steers worldwide Caritas aid network

Published: 2007-08-10

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Lesley-Anne Knight has a warm smile and a big vision, but not one that includes doing anything single-handedly. Knight, 51, is the new secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organization for 162 national Catholic charities around the world. The Briton is the first woman appointed to the position, which involves overseeing the day-to-day operations in the network's Vatican offices and implementing the strategic plan that network representatives approved for people-first humanitarian assistance, development, peace and environmental protection projects. The fact that she is certain to be one of the few women in the room at many meetings does not seem to bother her or fire her up; it simply makes sense. Since most of the network's organizations are sponsored by national bishops' conferences, they have tended to have bishops or priests as presidents and directors, she said. But with the growing priest shortage and the willingness of qualified laypeople like Knight to pitch in, that is changing. Knight came to the Vatican from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, or CAFOD, the Catholic charity of England and Wales, where she had been international director for three years.

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