Communique from the General Definitory – Tempo Forte of January 2018

The January 2018 Tempo Forte was held at the General Curia, Rome, from the 8^th to the 26^th of the month. On the 16^th, the Minister, Vicar, and Definitors General took part in the celebrations marking the Feast of the Pontifical University, Antonianum. The annual meeting with newly elected Ministers and Custodes took place from January 17^th to 25^th, and the following took part:

• Rogério Viterbo DE SOUZA, OFM, Custody of the Seven Joys of Our Lady, Brazil;
• René BUSTAMANTE, OFM, Missionary Province of St. Anthony, Bolivia;
• Alejandro Adolfo WIESSE LÉON, OFM, Province di St. Francis Solanus, Peru;
• Yusuf BAGH, OFM, Custody of St. John the Baptist, Pakistan;
• Gabriel NGGA, OFM, Province of St. Francis, Herald of Peace, West Papua;
• Mikael PERUHE, OFM, Province of St. Michael the Archangel, Indonesia;
• Isauro Ulises LINFATI COVILI, OFM, Province of the Blessed Trinity, Chile;
• Juan Manuel MUÑOZ CURIEL, OFM, Province of Sts. Francis and James, Messico;
• Flavio CHÁVEZ GARCÍA, OFM, Province of Sts. Peter and Paul, Mexico;
• Pierre CHARLAND, OFM, Province of St. Joseph, Canada;
• Aidan MCGRATH, OFM, Province of Ireland;
• Thomas NAIRN, OFM, Sacred Heart Province, USA;
• Mark SOEHNER, OFM, St. John the Baptist Province, USA;
• Teofil CZARNIAK, OFM, Province of the Immaculate Conception, Poland;
• Jacek KOMAN, OFM, Province di St.ta Mara degli Angeli, in Polonia;
• Jakub František SADÍLEK, OFM, Province of St. Wenceslaus, Czech Republic;
• Juan Carlos MOYA OVEJERO, OFM, Province of the Immaculate Conception, Spain;
• Amaral Bernardo AMARAL, OFM, Custody of St. Clare, Mozambique;

  After a short session, during which each of the friars of the Definitory spoke about the activities and experiences in which they had been involved during the period since the last Tempo Forte, held just before Christmas, a presentation was made of the final Visitation Reports from:

• The Province of the Immaculate Conception, Spain;
• The Custody of the Seven Joys of Our Lady, Brazil.

  Various acts of elections were ratified during the Tempo Forte sessions. These included elections that had taken place:

• During the Provincial Chapter of the Province of the Twelve Apostles, Peru;
• During the Provincial Chapter of the Province of the Immaculate Conception, Spain;
• During the Provincial Chapter of the Province of St. Anthony, Brazil;
• During the Capitular Congressus of the Province of Our Lady of Hungary;
• during Extra-Capitular elections of a Definitor and some Guardians in various Entities of the Order.

  In addition, changes to the Particular Statutes of the following Province were ratified:

• Province of the Immaculate Conception, Poland.

  The following requests were examined:

• dispensation from the obligations of the clerical state (3);
• secularisation pure et simpliciter (3);
• dispensation from Solemn Vows (1);
• exclaustration (1);
• dispensation from Simple Vows (1).

    Two friars from the Province of the Incarnate Word (Togo), and three from the Province of St. Francis (East Africa) were given obediences to participate in the French-language inter-obediential formation course for missionaries that will be held in the OFM house, Notre Dame des Missions, Brussels, from March 2018 onwards. A number of friars were released from their service to the Missionary Projects of the Order, while others received their obedience to begin service in these projects. Soon, the new Fraternity in Cuba, a Missionary Project that has been promoted by the Minister General, will be formed. As well as meeting the various Secretariats and Offices of the General Curia, the General Definitory also met with Br. Andrew BROPHY, OFM, recently nominated Executive Director of the General Secretariat for Franciscan Missions, in Waterford (WI), U.S. The General Animator for Evangelization presented the program of celebrations that the Commission on Service for Dialogue is organising in conjunction with the Province of the Holy Family (Egypt). These celebrations, commemorating the meeting of St. Francis with the Sultan Melek-El-Kamel, will take place in Damietta, Egypt, in 2019. As well as being updated on the progress being made as regards preparations for the Plenary Council of the Order (Nairobi, June 12^th -28^th, 2018) and for the Chapter of Mats for Under Ten (Taizé, 2019), the General Definitory elected:

• Josip PERCAN, OFM, as President of the Scotist Commission, Rome;
• Witold SALAMON, OFM, as Vice-President of the Scotist Commission, Rome;
• Juri LEONI, OFM, as Legal Representative of the Fondazione Collegio St. Bonaventura Frati editori di Quaracchi, at St. Isidore’s College, Rome;
• Eduardo ARMENTA, OFM, of the Province of St. Peter Baptist, the Philippines, as Visitator General of the Custody of St. Anthony of Padua, the Philippines;
• The Custodial Council of the Custody of the Immaculate Conception, Albania, dependent on the Minister General (Br. Aurel GJERKAJ, OFM, Custos; Br. Mirash MARINAJ, OFM, Br. Valentin RROKU, OFM, Br. Vitor DEMAJ, OFM, and Br. Sergio GAZZEA, OFM, Council Members).

  The next Tempo Forte will be held at the General Curia from March 12^th to 23^rd, 2018.   Rome, 30^th January, 2018 Br. Giovanni Rinaldi, OFM Secretary General