Catholic World News News Feature

Poland's Caritas chief still under fire May 31, 2007

Former employees of Poland's Caritas agency have met with the president of the Polish bishops' conference (KEP), Archbishop Jozef Michalik of Przemysl, the call for the removal of the director of Caritas, Father Adam Deren, Polish media reports reveal.

Father Deren has been under fire in Poland because of complaints that he harassed and abused members of the agency's staff. Father Jozef Kloch, a spokesman for KEP, said that an agreement had been reached between the Caritas director and one former employee, apparently ending a legal dispute.

The head of the KEP charitable commission, Bishop Grzegorz Balcerek, an auxiliary bishop of Posen, has refused to comment on the situation.

Meanwhile the former head of Caritas Poland, Father Wojciech Lazewski, has denied words attributed to him by Father Deren. Father Lazewski said: “I never said that my employees are lazy and that they should be fired…I was very satisfied with them and maintain contact with them.”

Father Deren was ordained in 1990, holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology, was secretary of the 46th International Eucharistic Congress in Wroclaw, and was director of Caritas for the Archdiocese of Wroclaw. Father Deren began a 5-year term as director of Caritas Poland in June 2004.