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Accomplished fundraiser and leader, Carl Hétu, takes the helm at Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada

MONTREAL, January 31, 2022 ― Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada is delighted to announce the appointment of Carl Hétu as its executive director. Hétu was picked from a field of strong candidates and appointed unanimously by the national council for a five-year term beginning February 14, 2022.

Hétu brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. Since 2004, he has been the Canadian director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), which supports Catholic charities in the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and India.

Hétu helped reorganize CNEWA’s headquarter operations and shifted its focus to longer-term programs. He rallied continual support from Canadians for the organization’s causes and philanthropic priorities. He also travelled extensively in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine and India and regularly commented in the media and public forums on issues affecting these countries.

From 1990 to 2004, Hétu worked at Development and Peace as an animator serving various regions in Ontario. In that role, he recruited, trained, coordinated, mobilized and inspired diocesan members and cultivated relationships with clergy across the province. He also led members on a solidarity trip to Peru and represented Development and Peace on a fact-finding mission to Colombia.

Over the years, Hétu has acquired an intimate understanding not only of the complex, interconnected issues of poverty, inequity, war and vulnerability to disasters in the Global South but also of the role that international solidarity and grassroots action can play in empowering marginalized communities.

“Welcome back, Carl. We’re elated at the thought of working by your side again,” said Brenda Arakaza, president of Development and Peace. “We know your deep commitment to justice and solidarity and are confident in what lies ahead. We can be sure of leaving a positive, long-lasting impact, both materially and spiritually, on people around the world and in Canada.”

Echoing her sentiments, Hétu said, “Like thousands of our members and donors, I believe in Development and Peace’s mission. We stand united, as one human family, inspired by the Gospel and guided by Pope Francis to accompany the most vulnerable and mistreated persons at the peripheries of our planet. We won’t rest until dignity and peace are afforded to all.”

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About Development and Peace

Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. It works in partnership with local organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East to create greater justice in the world and to act in solidarity with the most vulnerable people.


For more information, contact:

Jean-Nicolas Desjeunes
Torchia Communications
514-998-0884 | jnd@torchiacom.com

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