On Thursday, December 7, 2023, a historic meeting of Italian men and women missionaries was held at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs [Palazzo della Farnesina in Rome]. The meeting was convened at the behest of Antonio TAJANI, the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry invited the Franciscan Missionary Center of the Federazione Intermediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP) to represent the Franciscans at this meeting.
The meeting was charged with meaning because of the importance of its theme: “The Person at the Center.” The theme was given sharper focus through the testimony of various missionaries, representatives of a number of Associations and Religious Orders of men and women, namely, the Salesians, Jesuits, Franciscans, Combonian Missionaries, Scalabrinian Missionaries, Missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), Camillian Missionaries, and others. During the day, missionaries from Mongolia, Kenya, Cameroon, Benin and Congo participated via video-conferencing.
The event opened with a message from Pope Francis, who thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and “all the missionaries who have chosen to give their lives to Christ in particular service to their poorest brothers and sisters.”
Next, Foreign Minister TAJANI warmly addressed the audience and stressed “that men and women missionaries are our ambassadors of peace in the world and have a vision that is not purely immanent, but transcendent. Moreover, they work in the most diverse and difficult contexts [of the world]. We must be grateful to all of you … and we know that many priests and nuns are killed just because they are Christians. The Italian missionaries also represent a feather in the cap for our country; they are bearers of our language and are part of our country’s foreign policy understood as service, not the management of power.” In addition, the minister announced that he would inform Italy’s one hundred and twenty-eight embassies and eighty consulates that they are to always keep their doors open to the many needs of missionaries.
The Most Reverend Paul Richard GALLAGHER, Secretary for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, pointed out how missionaries should make themselves neighbors, “in the hope that from today’s small gestures something ever greater can be born, through fraternity among people and through the justice that inspires social coexistence.”
The meeting was divided into three sessions, each with its own theme: “Nutrition and Agriculture,” “Education and Vocational Training” and “Prison and Childhood Pastoral Care.” The speakers were the Most Reverend Domenico POMPILI, Bishop of Verona; Father Giulio ALBANESE, a Combonian priest; and the current President of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Marco IMPAGLIAZZO. It was mentioned that there were twenty thousand missionaries in the1980s and today that number has fallen to six thousand, among whom three hundred are fidei donum. In addition, the Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union, Friar Đình Anh Nhuệ NGUYỄN, OFM Conv., explained the work the Union does to benefit the formation of mission animators in dioceses around the world. He also spoke about the role of Agenzia Fides [the news agency of the Vatican] and the works of the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood.
The Director of the Missionary Center, Friar Paolo FIASCONARO, spoke to the Italian media outlets RAI and TV2000 about the growing Conventual Franciscan missions located in forty countries around the world. He explained that, following the example of St. Francis, “the friars go throughout the world proclaiming the Gospel in simplicity and joy, in minority and fraternity.”
The day ended with two speeches. One was from the Director of the Crisis Unit at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nicola MINASI. He pointed out that missionaries are key partners with the Crisis Unit. The other was from the Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Riccardo GUARIGLIA. He thanked the Italian missionaries around the world and announced that the meeting with missionaries will be held annually.
Friar Paolo FIASCONARO
Director of the Franciscan Missionary Center
