Pope Francis has suppressed the Populorum Progressio Foundation, handing over the mission of a renamed Populorum Progressio Fund to the Latin American bishops’ conference, CELAM.

The Populorum Progression Foundatio was established by Pope John Paul II in 1992, as a papal initiative to support development projects among the poor of Latin America. The foundation has operated as an arm of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

With the reorganization of the Roman Curia, the Pope explained, and the mandate to “promote a stronger link with the local churches,” the work of choosing and analyzing development projects will be done by CELAM. The office administering the work is based in Bogota, Colombia.

The Populorum Progressio Fund will still be regarded as an “expression of the charity of the Pope,” and the Dicastery for Integral Human Development will supervise the administration of funds.