Change at the top of Misereor: Pirmin Spiegel was bid farewell after twelve years in office as Chief Executive of the organisation for development cooperation with a solemn church service followed by a reception. On 1 July, Dr Andreas Frick (60) will succeed him as Chairman of the Board of the Catholic organisation.
Change at the top of Misereor: Pirmin Spiegel was bid farewell after twelve years in office as Chief Executive of the organisation for development cooperation with a festive church service followed by a reception. On 1 July, Dr Andreas Frick (60) will succeed him as CEO of the Catholic organisation.
"We fight to ensure that everyone has a place at the table of life". A sentence that was one of Spiegel's core messages during his time as head of Misereor. The 66-year-old, who comes from Großfischlingen in Rhineland-Palatinate and worked as a priest in the diocese of Speyer and for a total of 15 years in north-east Brazil, is convinced that a fairer and more just world is possible. A world in which every human being is granted a good and dignified life - without exceeding the natural limits of planet Earth.
One way: Satisfied frugality
As Managing Director of Misereor, Spiegel worked tirelessly to get closer to this goal. He appealed to politicians and society to muster the political will, determination and drive to achieve the 17 UN sustainability goals. These are not a utopia, he said, but feasible. "Those who talk about poverty must not remain silent about wealth," Spiegel said, repeatedly outlining what the path to greater justice could look like. Shortly after taking office, the head of Misereor initiated a process of reflection on the question of what a different way of living and doing business could look like that is future-proof and sustainable. He called the underlying basic attitude "contented frugality", which is achieved by those who measure and consume what they really need for a good life.
"Laudato sí" as a guiding principle
Spiegel was particularly inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical "Laudato sí". The Pope's message on overcoming global poverty, achieving greater justice, caring for our common home and treating creation differently has always remained relevant since its publication in 2015, said Spiegel. "In view of the many crises of our time, it was and is always helpful for me that 'Laudato sí' thinks about the social and ecological crisis together." The Misereor Managing Director has seen the extent to which this ecological crisis can cause existential hardship for people in many places in the Global South. Take the Pacific, for example: "Rising sea levels are swallowing up fertile land in Fiji and threatening livelihoods. Cemeteries are also being flooded and disappearing. I will never forget the conversations I had with people who have lost their ancestors' graves as a result. They are suffering because their deceased loved ones, with whom they have a close connection, are suffering. These are experiences that leave their mark and move them."
A thank you from Brazil
"On the occasion of Pirmin Spiegel's handover of office, we would like to express our gratitude for the help we have always received from Misereor for the cause of the indigenous peoples in defence of their lives and their territories in Brazil. The solidarity and fraternal closeness of Misereor has always expressed a deep connection and communion with the indigenous peoples and the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi)," said Paulo Süss, a Catholic theologian living in Brazil, who was a guest at the event, The Archbishop of Freiburg, Stephan Burger, who is responsible for Misereor, the Head of the NRW State Chancellery and Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media, Nathanael Liminski, and the President of the Federal Environment Agency, Dirk Messner, were among the guests at the event.
The weakest as agents of change
In his farewell address, Mr Spiegel called for people from the Global South to be seen less as people in need of help and instead to focus on their strengths and potential. "Even the economically weakest members of society have something to give. They can contribute to solving the problems. We should not assume that poorer people are unable to organise their own survival. They are not objects of aid. They are agents of change - each in their own place and together globally."
As the future Managing Director of Misereor, Dr Andreas Frick will lead comprehensive change processes and assume responsibility in a variety of areas of activity. Frick knows the everyday lives of people in countries with high poverty rates in Africa, Asia and Latin America from his own experience and personal encounters in Bolivia, Colombia, India and Pakistan and from many years of project support with partners in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
A great global responsibility
Born in Aachen in 1964, the theologian was ordained a priest in 1989 after studying in Frankfurt and Rome. After years as a chaplain in Meerbusch-Osterath, Frick worked in Aachen as a cathedral vicar, as head of the parish of St Foillan and as head of the community of parishes in Aachen-Mitte. In Eschweiler, he headed the parish of St Peter and Paul and was head of the community of parishes in Eschweiler Mitte. Frick also worked as director at the Pauluskolleg in Bonn, the former theologians' convent of the diocese of Aachen, and as a judge at the ecclesiastical labour court of the North Rhine-Westphalian dioceses. From January 2015 to December 2023, Frick served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Aachen.
"Misereor has a great, globally recognised responsibility. I am happy to take on this responsibility with all the strength available to me: together with all of you and our partners worldwide, we will continue on this common path and continue to shape the future of Misereor," said Frick.
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