The Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors (UCESM) comprises thirty-eight national Conferences representing the Major Superiors of apostolic Religious Institutes from twenty-eight European countries, namely, some 185,000 men and women religious.
On April 15-20, 2024, the UCESM conducted its biennial General Assembly in Vranov nad Dyjí (near Brno) in the Czech Republic. Among the nearly fifty participants were three Conventual Franciscans: Friar Jarosław BARTKIEWICZ from the Conference of Bulgaria, Friar Miljenko HONTIĆ, the Vice President of the Conference of Croatia, and Friar Andreas MURK, the President of the Conference of Germany. The theme of the assembly was “Religious Life: Identity and Future – Facing Today’s Challenges.”
One of the highlights was a presentation by Brother Philip PINTO, the former Minister General of the Congregation of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers (CFC), who spoke from India via the Zoom Internet platform. He talked about vulnerabilities in our religious life, including in the context of the great sexual abuse scandal that is shaking the Church worldwide.
The Secretary General, Sister Marjolein BRUINEN, was particularly pleased with the presentation by Sister Nathale BECQUART, Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, who spoke about the importance of synodality, namely, the involvement of the laity in religious life and the relationship between religious and the laity.
Several lectures during the assembly stressed how fragile consecrated life often is and the challenges it faces today. However, it was noted that consecrated life is also required in our time; it can and must make a significant contribution to the Church and society. With all the topics focused mainly on the future, the speakers made every effort to offer the participants a truly fruitful present: everything was simultaneously translated into English, Italian and French. Praying and celebrating Mass together was as important as eating together and socializing. The participants also went on an outing to Brno, where they got to visit several religious communities.
Finally, the Conventual Franciscans were able to take a little pride in being the largest group among the participants!
Friar Andreas MURK
