Chapter of the Mats of the Franciscan Family in Morocco

On the 23^rd April Br Michael A. Perry, Minister General, presided at the Chapter of Mats of the Franciscan Family in Rabat, Morocco, on the occasion of the 8^th Centenary of the arrival of the Franciscans in this country, and for the commemoration of the 8^th Centenary of the meeting of Saint Francis of Assisi with Sultan Malik Al-Kamil in Damietta. The meeting took place in the diocesan house of spirituality Our Lady of Peace in Rabat, and 60 brothers and sisters of the various institutes of the Franciscan family in Morocco attended. At the conclusion of the meeting, they all went on pilgrimage to the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, a Jubilee church this year, for the closing Eucharist presided over by the Minister General who said goodbye to those present with the presentation of an icon of Saint Francis with the Sultan. The reflection of the day revolved around the significance of the presence of the Franciscan family in Morocco, in the midst of Islam, a presence open to encounter and dialogue, at the service of charity as well as the Franciscan witness of opening doors, of house and heart, to shape a universal fraternity.