From 22 to 24 March 2023, a meeting of the CEME, the Executive Council for the Missions and Evangelisation of the Order, was held at the General Curia in Rome. At this meeting, the Council focused its attention on the responses that the Provinces, Custodies and Foundations of the Order have given to the Instrumentum Laboris in view of preparing the Ratio Evangelizationis.
"We listened to the friars through the responses to the Instrumentum Laboris for the Ratio Evangelizationis. From the replies received, we separated the fundamentals of our vocation from the principles for preparing the Ratio. Right now, we are working on the principles," explained Br Francisco Gomez Vargas, General Secretary for Missions and Evangelisation.
The presence of the laity in evangelisation received the Council's attention. "We gave a lot of attention to the issue of collaboration with the laity, of involving the laity in our evangelisation service," shared Br Johannes Freyer. "It has often been thought that the laity help us, but there is a new idea that the laity are not only our helpers but are themselves the protagonists. This is a new idea: the laity are the protagonists of evangelisation, and we are their helpers".
Regarding the next steps in the preparation of the Ratio, Br José Rodriguez explained: "Having done the part on the principles of the Ratio, we now need to find experts in biblical, Franciscan, interreligious and pastoral studies who will help us to put the principles of the Ratio in writing".
Only 63 of the 131 entities of the Order responded to the Instrumentum Laboris sent by the Secretariat for Missions and Evangelisation last November.
