Catholics worldwide rejoiced on May 8 at the news that Cardinal Robert Prevost had become the first American ever to be named pope – Pope Leo XIV, to be exact. As the world waits to see just what kind of pope he will be, especially in contrast to his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died on April 21, the daily work of Catholic charity goes on. On April 28, New York Nonprofit Media spoke with Beatriz Taveras Diaz, who has been the executive director of Catholic Charities Community Services of the Archdiocese of New York since 2008. (The executive director of Catholic Charities writ large is Msgr. Kevin Sullivan.) For an hour, Taveras Diaz, a native Manhattanite who held several positions in her agency before become its leader, talked about the severity of federal cuts to Catholic Charities’ multipronged work serving vulnerable New Yorkers, how her Catholic faith informs her work and why, at 65, she’s ready to start winding down her career.
This inerview has been edited for length and clarity.
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