At 7:00 a.m., Mass was presided over by the new Vicar General, Friar Igor SALMIČ. In his homily, in Italian and English, he reminded us that, as disciples of Jesus, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This is not a duty imposed on us. Rather, it reflects our very being as children of God. Thus, the Chapter is called to make choices that are as widely shared as possible, so that unity may take precedence over individual motives.
During the morning, the Chapter completed and officially confirmed the election of the new General Definitory. The Vicar General is Friar Igor SALMIČ of the Province of St. Joseph in Slovenia. He had formerly been the Assistant General for the Centralis Europae Foederatio (CEF).
The Secretary General is Friar Tomasz SZYMCZAK of the Province of the Immaculate Mother of God in Poland (Warsaw). He has been confirmed for a second term.
The Assistant General for the African Federation of Conventual Franciscans (AFCOF) is Friar Blasio Ooko OLENGE of the Province of St. Francis of Assisi in Kenya. He has been confirmed for his first term.
The Assistant General for the CEF Federation is Friar Vincenzo COSATTI of the Provincial Custody of St. Leopold and St. Nicholas of Flüe in Austria-Switzerland (first term).
The Assistant General for the Conventual Franciscan Federation (CFF) is Friar Joseph WOOD of the Province of St. Bonaventure in the USA. He was confirmed in March of 2023 to replace Friar Jude WINKLER of the Province of Our Lady of the Angels in the USA.
The Assistant General for the Federación América Latina Conventuales (FALC) is Friar Rogério PEREIRA XAVIER of the Province of St. Francis in Brazil (second term).
The Assistant General for the Federation of Asian Minor Conventuals (FAMC) is Friar Giuseppe Myoungjin PARK of the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in South Korea. He was confirmed in September of 2024, to replace Friar Benedetto BAEK, also from South Korea.
The Assistant General for the Foederatio Europae Mediae et Orientalis (FEMO) is Friar Tomáš LESŇÁK of the Provincial Custody of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. in Slovakia (second term).
Finally, the Assistant General for the Federazione Intermediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP) is Friar Colin Charles SAMMUT of the Province of St. Paul the Apostle in Malta (first term).
This was followed by the opening of the fifth session, which included the discussion of the Motions.
Friar Maurizio DI PAOLO, Procurator General, presented the first two Motions. These concerned an amendment to the Constitutions regarding the deprivation of active and passive voice for friars who are seriously ill, both physically and mentally; then, an amendment to the General Statutes regarding absence from the religious house reduced to one year; the reception of the rescript from Pope Francis on the election of religious brothers to positions of governance; the addition of the General Archivist to the various General Offices; and safeguarding privacy in the archives of the Jurisdictions.
The Motions were discussed and approved, with some requested modifications.
The Secretary General for Formation, Friar Piotr STANISŁAWCZYK, presented Motion No. 3 on Franciscan Discipleship and Ratio Studiorum. The text, as submitted by the General Definitory, was approved after much revision and consultation with the Federations.
A discussion then began on possible changes that could be implemented now to better align with the future of formation in the Order, recognizing that pedagogy and intercultural engagement are constantly evolving.
The vote on this issue was postponed because a text will be presented later, regarding the possibility of the General Definitory periodically amending the document, always in consultation with the Federations.
Finally, there was a presentation by the Secretary General, Friar Tomasz SZYMCZAK, concerning the Directory for the Provincial Chapter. This was immediately followed by a discussion on various Chapter practices, especially: Pre-Chapter Assemblies, voting by letter or email, online participation, and the roles of the General Visitator and the Assistant General.
The text submitted to the Chapter by the General Definitory was approved. It already included certain revisions regarding the participation of the Assistant General; the election of the Minister Provincial by letter after the completion of the general canonical visitation; and how to oppose the election of the Minister Provincial in a letter-based vote.
This approval also anticipated further changes to be discussed in the coming days.
Office of Communications
