Taizé (France), 7–14 July 2019

5th International Under Ten Chapter of Mats

From 7 to 14 July 2019, 181 friars from five continents—15 Conferences of the Order, 86 Entities, and 52 nationalities—gathered in Taizé, France, for the fifth International Under Ten Chapter of Mats on the theme “Friars in Dialogue”. The meeting took place in the monastic community of Taizé, a symbolic place of ecumenical dialogue and the search for unity among Christians, in the presence of the Minister General Br Michael Perry, OFM, and the General Definitory. 

The reflections, structured in three phases—pre-Chapter, Chapter, and post-Chapter—explored the meaning of dialogue in the life of a Friar Minor: dialogue with God in prayer, fraternal dialogue within communities, and dialogue with the Church and the world. Drawing on the Franciscan tradition of openness and encounter, emblematic in the historic dialogue between St. Francis and Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil in 1219, the friars committed themselves to cultivating concrete opportunities for dialogue, welcome, and mutual respect. 

The Taizé Declaration on Dialogue, the concluding document of the Chapter, invites us to recognize in the other not a threat, but a source of enrichment, following in the footsteps of St. Francis.

Read the final message of the Under Ten Chapter of Mats in Taizé: Italiano - English - Español - Français

Go to the International Chapter of Mats Under Ten - Assisi 2026