The Chapter of the Friars Minor of the Province of St. Anthony of Northern Italy concluded on 16 May in Camposampiero, Padua. For almost two weeks, sixty friars gathered to discuss the situation of the Province, explore future prospects, and elect a new Provincial Minister and government. The work of the Chapter was inspired and guided by the passage from the Acts of the Apostles recounting the encounter between Philip and the eunuch.
From the outset of the preparatory process, this icon inspired the suggestion of inviting lay people to participate in meetings on the topics to be discussed by the Chapter. The first outcome of the Chapter process was therefore this tangible experience of synodality, which many friars may have experienced for the first time.
This experience intensified during the Chapter, where those who often identify as evangelisers spontaneously identified with Philip and experienced the novelty of being evangelised by young lay people who led a lectio divina on the passage from the Acts. The synodal experience was further realised through the participation of lay people, sisters, as well as young friars in the Chapter commissions. Recognising these essential demands, the Capitulars identified tools and initiatives to help them grow and develop. This is perhaps the path to humble and fraternal management of each person's power, which we more familiarly call minority.
The Province, which extends throughout Northern Italy, includes nearly four hundred friars. Several of them serve in missions (in Guinea Bissau, Burundi and other places), teach in Rome or Jerusalem. Most of them, however, serve in forty-four convents, parishes and shrines located in an area stretching from Piedmont to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and from Trentino to Emilia-Romagna. Eleven of these convents are particularly dedicated to serving the poor, providing soup kitchens, hospitality services and integration projects for immigrants. Numerous evangelisation activities are organised for young people in missions, parishes and shrines. The Institute of Ecumenical Studies, an important cultural centre based in Venice, is also worth mentioning.
The elected Provincial, Br. Antonio Scabio, previously served as Minister in the former Venetian Province from 2010 to 2015. In 2015, he was elected Definitor General, a position he will hold until 2021.
