On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the Ministers General of the Franciscan First Order: Friars Massimo FUSARELLI, OFM; Roberto GENUIN, OFM Cap.; and Carlos A. TROVARELLI, OFM Conv; met in Assisi at the Cortile di Francesco [Courtyard of Francis – an annual cultural symposium] to conduct a historical discussion that will likely impact Franciscan debate for years to come. The Ministers General met to reflect upon the Later Rule of St. Francis of Assisi, eight hundred years after its approval.
Other speakers contributed to the reflection as well. One was Professor Maria Pia ALBERZONI who discussed the work of the friars and the normative nature of the Rule from a historical perspective. Another was the poet Davide RONDONI, gave a detailed, aesthetic perspective on the relationship between the masculine and the feminine, and on the mission of Franciscans living in fraternity in today’s world. The Custos of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, Friar Marco MORONI, moderated the discussion.
“Talking about the Rule of St. Francis and the work the friars are doing today,” said Friar Carlos TROVARELLI, “means being hopeful and operating in such a way that the lifestyle of the friars is good news for the world.”
“We cannot claim to possess others,” he concluded. “Rather, when we talk about being fraternal, we mean that we are called to cultivate an exquisite, tender and delicate humanity, one which knows how to grasp the mystery of every living person. We seek total humanization in relationships between human beings, who are men and women.”
St. Francis Magazine Editorial Staff
