In the spirit of fraternity and synodality, from 24-28 August, 2025, the East Asian Conference (EAC) of the Order of Friars Minor gathered its Ministers and representatives at the Precious Blood Renewal Center in Hong Kong for their 2025 Ministers’ Meeting. The assembly brought together Franciscan leaders from the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Myanmar, joined by the President of SAAOC, Br. Derrick Yap, OFM, and the Definitor General for Asia, Br. John Wong, OFM.
The meeting unfolded within the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 and the 8th Centenary of the Canticle of the Creatures—two milestones that invited the friars to reflect on how their Franciscan witness might radiate hope in a world marked by pandemic, war, and ecological crisis.
The gathering opened with the Eucharist presided by Br. Lino Gregorio Redoblado, OFM, Provincial Minister of San Pedro Bautista Province (Philippines) and President of the EAC. In his homily, he called the friars to walk through the “narrow gate” of fraternity, humility, and minority, reminding them that radical hope is not naïve optimism but a courageous response to the wounds of humanity and creation. “As St. Francis sang the Canticle in the midst of sickness and conflict,” he said, “we too must proclaim hope as a gift and mission.”
Each day of the meeting deepened this call through prayer, reflection, and dialogue. Homilies offered by Br. Bonaventura Lin, OFM (Taiwan–Hong Kong) and Br. Joseph Kim, OFM (Korea) reminded the friars that leadership is often lived silently and humbly, like St. Joseph’s guardianship, and that authentic communities are built on transparency of heart and action. These reflections invited the brothers to see their ministries not only in structures and programs but in the hidden fidelity of daily fraternity, minority, and solidarity.
The heart of the meeting was the sharing of reports and fraternal discernment. Br. Redoblado, in his President’s Report, recalled recent initiatives such as the Common Integration Programs in Cebu and Manila, the Asian Franciscan Network for Peace and Ecology in Cebu, and the “New Forms” Mission Gathering in Vietnam, all of which highlighted formation, ecological conversion, peacebuilding, and outreach to migrants and indigenous peoples. He reminded the friars that these efforts are not simply activities but living expressions of their Franciscan identity in Asia.
Br. John Wong, OFM, Definitor General, encouraged the Ministers to look at the Order through “five lenses”—gratitude, vision, conversion, mission, and the future. He urged the friars to confront clericalism, strengthen safeguarding, and rediscover the joy of the Gospel, with special attention to the dignity and mission of lay brothers. Quoting Pope Francis, he reminded them: “Your heritage is rich rooted in prayer, fraternity, poverty, and itinerancy. Your teachers are the poor, the refugees, the excluded. Embrace them as St. Francis did.”
Reports from the Coordinators further enriched the dialogue. Br. Judee Mar Maquinad, OFM highlighted the equal dignity of lay and ordained friars affirmed in the EAC Lay Brothers’ Gathering, the intercultural richness of CIP Manila 2025, and preparations for the Young Friars’ Gathering in Seoul this September. Br. Jovit Malinao, OFM presented on Mission and Evangelization, noting the friars’ contributions to the drafting of the Ratio Evangelizationis and proposing a General Assembly of EAC Secretaries for Mission in Nagasaki in 2026. Updates from JPIC, presented on behalf of Br. Augustine Seng Mun Aung, OFM of Myanmar, emphasized ecological conversion, peace advocacy, and solidarity with suffering communities.
In addition to prayer and discernment, the Ministers immersed themselves in the local context. They visited St. Joseph’s Church in Fanling, a heritage parish that embodies both memory and renewal; met with community projects in Kowloon that stand with families on the margins; and prayed at La Verna in Prince Edward, now home to the Studium Biblicum and the collection of Blessed Gabriele Allegra, OFM. These visits highlighted three dimensions of the Franciscan mission today: memory, solidarity, and proclamation of the Word. The days of dialogue and visits culminated in a fraternal dinner with the friars of Hong Kong and members of the Secular Franciscan Order.
The Ministers also took a historic step by unanimously supporting the request of the Custody of St. Francis of Assisi to become an autonomous custody, affirming the growth and maturity of Franciscan life there.
Resolutions approved during the assembly covered formation, mission, JPIC, finances, safeguarding, and preparations for the upcoming centenaries of the Order. They called for strengthening youth accompaniment, promoting inter-Franciscan collaboration, confronting clericalism, and sustaining the vocation of lay brothers.
Finally, in a spirit of synodality, the friars elected new leaders for the 2025–2028 term: Br. Lino Gregorio Redoblado, OFM (Philippines) was re-elected as President, and Br. John of God, OFM (Vietnam) was elected Vice President. New coordinators were also appointed to ensure the continued vitality of the Conference.
As the meeting concluded, the friars carried with them a renewed conviction: to live as pilgrims of hope in East Asia, healing wounds by their presence, building bridges instead of walls, and caring for creation and the poor. Rooted in prayer and fraternity, they pledged to make their houses “oases of hope” where the Gospel is lived with humility, joy, and love for all.
Download the EAC Ministers’ Meeting Final Statement
