On the 11th June, 2025, in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angles at the Porziuncola, the Plenary Council of the Order of Friars Minor, a significant moment of discernment and dialogue on the future of the Order, ended.
The final day, moderated by Br. Jean Claude Kinombe, began with the fifth session dedicated to the proposal and choice of themes, modalities and place for the 2027 General Chapter. Subsequently, in the sixth session, the proposals were voted on and the report of the Council for Economic Affairs of the CPO, presented by Br. Saulo Duarte, Vice-Treasurer General, was heard.
As for the duration, an extension to 21-25 days has been proposed to allow for a deeper experience of synodality and contemplation. There are several places proposed to host the 2027 Chapter, with preference for places where the Order is experiencing a new spring.
In his final address, the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, emphasized three profound movements that run through the Order: the transition from conservation to creative transformation, the movement from centralization to effective co-responsibility, and the transition from the historical geography to the current geography of the Order.
"We are not giving up," said the Minister General. "Let us not fall into the temptation of the exiles of Babylon who said: 'Our bones have withered, our hope has vanished'. Just as Francis did not allow his evangelical inspiration to be limited by the ancient monastic rules, we too choose the path of reform, with faith and boldness."
The Council concluded with a solemn Eucharist in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angles, presided over by the Minister General. In his homily, reflecting on the figure of St. Barnabas, Br. Massimo invited the friars to be "children of consolation" in today's world: "Like Barnabas, we are called to lighten our burdens. How many ballasts we carry with us! How many structures that once served and have now become cages! How many "golds, silvers and sacks that slow us down on the way”! The Gospel asks us for freedom, lightness, agility to reach the 'areopaguses' of our time: the places where people live, suffer, hope."
With an eye to the future and its heart anchored to the charism, the Order of Friars Minor continues its journey of renewal, faithful to the legacy of St. Francis and open to the signs of the times.
Read the address of the Minister General: Italiano - English - Español
Read the homily of the Minister General: Italiano - English - Español
