From the 23rd to the 27th of this month all the Ministers Provincial and Custodes of Latin America will gather in São Paulo, Brazil, to thank the Lord for the gift of our Franciscan vocation at the beginning of this Centenary. They will evaluate the present journey of the Order on this continent and look to the future. We, the friars of the General Definitory, are also taking part to share with our Ministers and Custodes the life and mission of this great continent.
Realities differ in the many countries where we are present. Our brothers often live at crucial intersections. First of all, there is the cultural change that is taking place and the desire for greater awareness of the different peoples. There are forms of inequality and poverty caused by injustice and the movement of migrants. There is the ecological issue, with particular reference to the Amazon. And there is a proliferation of different religious and Christian communities that see Catholics in a new position, pushed beyond themselves towards a renewed evangelisation.
In the reality of Latin America there are many challenges that demand of our friars that they read the signs of the times and recognise the actions that can transform reality by the power of the Gospel. If there is talk of a "lost time" for the development of the continent, there is also an invitation to hope in order not to lose contact with the men and women who live every day in different situations, often marked by injustice and poverty. Together we need to search for the peace found in fraternal coexistence.
We want to continue to participate in the growth of the Church as a hospitable fraternity for many, as well as for the various actors of civil society with whom we cooperate.
In Latin America, religious life is called to rethink itself, in contact with reality, listening to the Gospel, which is at the heart of the Franciscan charism.
In a synodal journey as Friars Minor in Latin America, we want to renew our vision and embrace our future, starting from today's Franciscan identity, around the present day context of Latin America. We do not want to repeat the patterns of the past, but to look with courage and passion to the future that has already begun.
Br Massimo Fusarelli
Minister General OFM
