Due to the current health emergency caused by the pandemic, the Federación América Latina Conventuales (FALC) conducted an extraordinary formation assembly, on-line, on October 24-26, 2020.
The friars in charge of the various Jurisdictions of Latin America used the Zoom Internet platform to meet in a creative and fraternal way and discuss their experiences and urgent problems as the health emergency continues. Several confreres were invited to talk about some very practical topics.
On the first day of the virtual assembly, Friar Valerio FOLLI, head of the Project Office (connected to the General Secretariat for Missionary Animation) spoke about the importance of communication, transparency and involvement among the friars, the Church and the people, as well as the issue of charismatic identity in the development of social projects in far-flung areas of the world.
On the second day, Friar Maurizio DI PAOLO, the Procurator General and Friar Francesco PANIZZOLO gave an instructive analysis of the various canonical aspects of the “Vademecum on Certain Points of Procedure in Treating Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics,” which was recently promulgated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
On the last day of this extraordinary assembly, the Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI, spoke about the various ways the current pandemic is impacting our daily lives. He exhorted everyone to keep hope alive and to care for the most vulnerable in our society. He spoke about the value of fraternity and overcoming fear and indifference.
The whole assembly was characterized by free-flowing communication and a spirit of fraternity. The friars were therefore able to update each other on the status of various formation settings and discuss specific examples of community and pastoral creativity as well as various difficulties and limitations.
We thank all the participants for making themselves available and ask God to let us continue our Franciscan witness with joy, together with the people of God in our “great homeland”, Latin America.
Friar Rogério PEREIRA XAVIER, Assistant General for the FALC
