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updated 11:54 AM UTC, Mar 20, 2024

The Pope meets with Franciscan Superiors

It was a conversation of about thirty-five minutes; among the topics were the tragedies in Syria, the unity of the Franciscan family, and the role of the laity in its respective Orders.

The Pope’s thoughts this morning turned to the victims of yesterday’s double attack against the Coptic community in Egypt, as he also received the four General Ministers of the Franciscan Orders.

“The Pope has been very much informed and has strongly confirmed his journey to Egypt,” as Vatican Radio quotes Br. Marco Tasca, General Minister of the Friars Minor Conventual. “The Pope will not be stopped by these unfortunate events, but with great firmness and conviction will depart for Egypt in order to strengthen and assist Christian dialogue and communion.”

Just today Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, has left for Egypt, “in order to set things up for the coming talks.”

Apart from the tragedies in Egypt, there was also reference in the audience to the tragic situation of the people of Syria following the chemical attack in Idlib and the missile attack which followed from the USA against the Syrian base in Shayrat in the Homs province.  Br. Michael Perry, General Minister of the OFM, has just recently returned from this tormented country and explains to Vatican broadcasting,

“I visited Syria and returned two days ago. I was in Aleppo, Damascus, and Latakia, where I met with the friars who have remained there with the Christians. Everyone wanted to thank Pope Francis for his attention to their crisis situation and also for the donations that he sent recently, which have already been used to help Christians and Muslims alike.”

Pope Francis “has asked us for the constant support of prayer for all of these devastating situations,” added Br. Michael Perry.

“When our confrere Michael had Pope Francis look at pictures and watch a short video from Aleppo,” echoed Br. Mauro Jöhri, General Minister of the Friars Minor Capuchin, “I saw the upset on his face, his sharing in the suffering of these people, but also the joy that they remembered him and were very grateful to him.”

In the course of the meeting, the Pope also wanted to know about the progress that the different Orders of the Franciscan family were making “to create communion.” Already on October 4, 2013, during his first visit to Assisi, Papa Bergoglio had met with the General Ministers, and after joking, “So now there exists also a Franciscan ecumenism!” he exhorted them to stay united. This journey towards ‘communion’ is now proceeding by means of various initiatives, beginning with the reunification of the Franciscan University in Rome among the OFM, Capuchins, Conventuals, and Third Order Regular. Then there are other projects for the fraternities in the Holy Land and in other places.

“We General Ministers,” explains Br. Michael Perry, “speak very often toward the end of being able to strengthen and emphasize the dimension of communion among us; we have spoken, furthermore, of the importance of the possibility of allowing lay friars to serve in the role of ordinary in their respective orders.”

In other words, this is the possibility that a lay friar could become guardian of a local fraternity, provincial and even general minister or general vicar, thus taking on “all the roles of service in the Order.” The Pope encouraged the project to go ahead.

La Stampa – Il Papa incontra i superiori francescani

Foto – L’Osservatore Romano

Il Papa incontra i superiori francescani

Il Papa incontra i superiori francescani

Last modified on Sunday, 23 April 2017 21:51