Tremor in the “social ministry” of the Vatican due to the resignation of the Argentinian priest who was in charge of the fight against the Covid

ROMA.- In what came as a shock to the Vatican’s “social ministry”, the Argentinian priest Augusto Zampini, that in April 2020 he had been appointed by Pope Francis Assistant Secretary of the Dicastery in the Service of Human and Integral Development and placed at the head of an unprecedented group working group to respond urgently to the coronavirus pandemic and the post-pandemic, left the office.

The Vatican Press Office today announced that the Pope has appointed the Italian Salesian Monja Alessandra Smerilli, economist who was already working in this ministry, who will also replace the French priest Bruno Marie Duffé, until now secretary of the same entity. The two replaced will return to their dioceses, which in Zampini’s case is that of Saint Isidre. Although “on an interim basis”, Sr. Smerilli will become the first woman to hold a post of this level in the Vatican.

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“The Holy Father therefore ordered that the leadership of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission be formed by His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery, by Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary ‘ad interim’ and by Reverend Fabio Baggio, under -secretary of Migrants. and the Refugee Section, ”the Vatican also said.

The departure of Zampini, 52 years old and who before discovering his priestly vocation was received from lawyer at UCA and has worked in this capacity in banks and multinationals, caused a lot of noise. He had represented the fresh air at the Vatican, where he had distinguished himself with his great dynamism and charisma which, according to some sources, would probably be they came up against a still slow and bureaucratic system. Zampini’s replacement came after the Pope ordered US Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, to investigate the functioning of a relatively new dicastery, employing around 70 people, marked by the existence of five under-secretaries. .

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Zampini announced his departure a few days ago (Courtesy /)

The Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development was created by Francis in August 2016 and is the result of the merger of four Pontifical Councils: the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the Pontifical Council “Cor unum”, the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care for Migrants and People on the Move and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health.

Fired

Ordained priest in the diocese of San Isidro in 2004, after training in moral theology at Colegio Máximo, Zampini continued his studies in the best universities in the world: he obtained a master’s degree in international development at the University of Bath, a doctorate in theology at Roehampton University in London and another post-doctorate at Cambridge. An expert in moral theology related to economics and environmental ethics, he has taught at various universities in Argentina and the United Kingdom. With experience in the field of Ebola, he has worked since 2017 at the Dicastery for Integral Human Development with Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson and was one of the experts at the last Synod on the Amazon. This is when He gets closer to Francisco, with whom he agrees to leave his post at the Vatican and return to his country, as he himself made known to his collaborators, as learned by LA NACION.

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“The book of Ecclesiastes emphasizes that” there is a time for everything … a time to plant and a time to pull up what is planted. ‘ Today, after deep discernment, and in agreement and in communion with my bishop and with Pope Francis, the time has come to stop embracing my mission in Rome, by seeking to take root elsewhere ”, Zampini announced it a few days ago.

“I am infinitely grateful to God, the Holy Father, Cardinal Turkson and all of you for giving me the opportunity to serve you during these years. In particular, it was a real honor to have participated in preparing for the future in the face of a world that is sick, broken and wounded by multiple crises. Together we have built something creative, agile and professional, with an evangelical and pastoral foundation. Now, we will have to cultivate this fertile ground that the Pope has asked us to go, helping others, from below, to produce fruit, and fruit in abundance, ”he continued. “Thank you for your hunger and your thirst to promote development and an integral ecology, where the poorest and the common home have the preference they deserve. I will never forget them and they will always be in my prayers. And as the Pope says, please don’t forget to pray for me, ”he concluded.