Caritas Internationalis Maltese treasurer relinquishes post

On completion of two successive four-year terms as treasurer of the Vatican-based Caritas Internationalis, 73-year-old retired banker Anthony R. Curmi of St Julian's met Pope Benedict XVI.

The private audience took place in the Vatican's Sala Clementina at the end of Caritas Internationalis' 18th General Assembly, which was attended by some 400 delegates from 162 Catholic relief member organisations of CI. The confederation members offer free services in relief, development and social services in over 200 countries and territories. CI is the second largest humanitarian relief organisation in the world.

Caritas Malta has been a member of CI for over 30 years. For the first time other commitments prevented its director, Mgr Victor Grech, from attending this four-yearly assembly, which traditionally is always held in Rome. Caritas Malta was represented by its assistant director Mgr Karm Farrugia.

The theme for this year's Assembly was 'Witnesses of Charity, Builders of Peace'. The keynote speakers were Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, and Professor Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement (Kenya) and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner. The week-long assembly was held in the Vatican's Synod Hall. The main celebrant at the opening Mass in St Peter's Basilica was Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's Vicar for the Diocese of Rome.

Mr Curmi was first elected CI treasurer in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003. He did not stand for election this year to make way for a younger candidate as this voluntary post entails frequent visits to Rome and time-consuming work at home in between such visits.

Mr Curmi has accepted a request to stay on as an ordinary member of CI's Finance Commission, which meets twice annually in Rome.

Mr Curmi has held senior executive posts in banking and financial services in Malta and abroad. He is the seventh of a family of 13. He is married to Joyce née Fenech and has two children, Chris and Corinne (Dingli), and four grandchildren.