(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch as the new president of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
ACN International executive president Regina Lynch said, “We very much look forward to having Cardinal Koch as our president, and to the guidance he can bring to our mission to persecuted and suffering Christians all over the world.”
“We are grateful to Pope Leo for this appointment and interest in our work,” she added.
ACN, founded in 1947, was elevated to a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI. It is one of the most prominent Catholic charities in the world, focusing on supporting persecuted Christians globally. It is currently active in over 140 countries worldwide.
Koch will chair the supervisory board as international president. Members of the board include bishops from countries where the Church is persecuted. Koch has worked closely with ACN in the past, especially with the charity’s German and Swiss offices.
The Swiss cardinal was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and president of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews by Pope Benedict in 2010. He is also a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
Koch is known as a conservative-leaning member of the episcopate. He has sharply criticized the heretical German Synodal Way and recently said that it would be “desirable” for Pope Leo to lift the restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass.
Jan Probst, managing director of ACN Switzerland and Liechtenstein, welcomed the appointment of Koch, stating that it is “a great honor for us.”
“Everyone in the Swiss section is very happy about it,” adding that it is an “excellent” choice.
“He is a great asset to our charity, because Cardinal Koch is very knowledgeable about the issues addressed by ACN.”
Through his role as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, he also has a “good overview” of the problems faced in different parts of the world. “His position as a promoter of unity will be very beneficial for our work,” Probst said. He is convinced that Koch’s appointment will have a positive impact, both on the quality of the work and on fundraising.
