UFME: Br Alard Krzysztof Maliszewski new President

Medjugorje, March 2, 2023. Br Alard Krzysztof Maliszewski, Minister Provincial of the Province of St Hedwig (Poland), was elected as the new President of UFME. The Assembly also elected a new Vice President in the person of Br Mario Chiarello, Minister Provincial of the Province of the VII Martyrs of Calabria (Italy).

The members of the permanent UFME Council will be elected by the individual European Conferences during their sessions.

UFME (Union of Friars Minor of Europe) is an organisation created to promote knowledge and collaboration between the Conferences and Provinces of Europe; to develop a shared Franciscan identity, and to support the presence, witness and mission of the Order in the European context; to carry out joint formation projects, especially for young friars, studies, evangelisation, JPIC.

UFME is not a "Conference of Conferences" but a genuine "Union" that embraces all the presences of the Order in Europe. It is represented by the Ministers Provincial, the Custodes, the General Definitors competent for the European Continent, and eventually by other delegates, such as that of the ESC, which is a "transversal" Conference since it is constituted on a linguistic rather than geographical basis. At present, the Conferences of COMPI (Conference of Minister Provincials of Italy and Albania), CONFRES (Conference of the Provinces of Spain and Portugal), COTAF (Transalpine Franciscan Conference), SLAN (North Slavic Conference), SLAS (South Slavic Conference) and the ESC Delegate (English Speaking Conference) are part of UFME.

UFME consists of two fundamental bodies: the Assembly, which meets every two years, and the permanent Council, consisting of the President, Vice-President and Conferences delegates. Each time the Assembly meets, it explores a topic of common interest at European, social, cultural and ecclesial levels, possibly related to the host country. It also takes possible initiatives, elects the President and Vice-President and gives guidelines for the permanent Council. 

For its part, the Permanent Council sees to the implementation of the Assembly's decisions and prepares the next one. It maintains contact with the Conferences and promotes collaboration between the Conferences themselves. Furthermore, it looks after relations with the Franciscan Family and Europe's various ecclesial and religious realities. Finally, it elects a Secretary and appoints a Bursar from among the members of the Council. 

The President convenes and presides over the Assembly and is assisted by a Vice-President; both remain in office for two years.

The reality of UFME is based on the following Article of the Order's General Statutes:

Art. 209 §2 The institution of some permanent organisation between the Conferences of the same Continent (e.g., Presidency, Secretariat, along with the General Definitors of each Continent) is recommended for the animation of common activities, i.e., formation, studies, evangelisation, justice, peace and the integrity of creation. These entities are to meet at determined intervals of time.

Edited by Br Claudio Durighetto, OFM Procurator General

Photos by Mateo Ivanković, Mir Information Centre Medjugorje

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