Michel Roy was appointed secretary general of Caritas Internationalis in 2011. Prior to his role at Caritas, Michel was director of the international advocacy department at Secours Catholique (Caritas France). There he specialised in issues related to global governance, financing for development, promotion of peace and human rights, corporate, social and environmental responsibility and international migration. He started his career in international development with a two-year stint working in Burundi in the late 1970s.

During his speech to ambassadors, Vatican officials, Caritas staff and family members, Michel said, “The poor need to be protagonists in setting straight a world which has been turned upside down by crises. They need to be motivated and to have respsonsibilities. Experience shows their energy when they act as one. This is particularly true where women are concerned.”