On the 19th - 20th June, more than 200 participants gathered at the Sacred Heart Campus of the University of St Francis (USF) in Campinas, Brazil, for the VII International Franciscan Conference, which this year had the theme "Bull Rule, Nativity Scene, Stigmata: Illumination for Franciscanism Today."
The event, the result of a collaboration between the USF, the Franciscan Theological Institute (ITF) and the FAE University Centre, promoted conferences, round tables, book presentations and research by undergraduates, as well as cultural moments.
During the opening, Prof. Renata Bernardo, of the organizing committee, recalled the previous editions of the Conference, from 2005 onwards, and emphasized its importance for Franciscanism. "I hope that the Conference will contribute to a greater knowledge of those who deal with the important elements of the Franciscan world, which cover academic, human, cultural, religious, anthropological, historical, philosophical, political and social aspects:. May I conclude with the words of Br. Orlando Bernardes, OFM: 'For Franciscanism, knowing man has become a permanent challenge, since I am convinced that God Himself has become a visible presence in the world,'" he said.
The organization of the Conference focused on the Franciscan Centenarians: the goal is to promote the consolidation of research dialogue on the topic, as underlined by the secretary and director of the House of Our Lady of Peace - Franciscan Social Action (CNSP-ASF) and Director of the Franciscan Theological Institute, Fr. Sandro Roberto da Costa, OFM. "In these jubilee years, between 2023 and 2026, we celebrate eight centuries of various founding events of Franciscanism, which remain in history and continue to resonate through the centuries. In a world that is constantly evolving, this conference offers us the opportunity to explore the richness, relevance and legacy of Franciscan values that have spanned the centuries and remain more relevant than ever," explained Br. Sandro.
For the Director General of the CNSP-ASF and Rector of the FAE, Prof. Jorge Apóstolos Siarcos, events like this are key to inspiring Franciscan values today. "It is a great honour to participate, especially here, being able to represent, with the permission of the friars, the educational face of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil, which has been working in the field of education for over 100 years. We are present both in basic education, through the Bom Jesus schools, and in higher education. All of us who work in education have a great challenge: to ensure quality teaching for our students. But without a doubt, the formation of these people, inspired by Franciscan values, is fundamental."
At the opening of the event, the Rector of USF, Br. Gilberto Gonçalves Garcia, emphasized the importance of bringing together the Franciscan Family and the different institutions. "We are here in a pool of Franciscan institutions. Although academies and institutes are the most cited, Franciscanism belongs to a large institutionalized Franciscan family that transcends institutions. Francis is welcomed into the academy, even though he is not an academic. Today the academy has the great responsibility of perpetuating, studying, researching and cultivating this great legacy. Over the centuries, academies, not only religious, but above all lay people, have been the great researchers interested in Franciscan memory, transformed into theology, philosophy, spirituality and mysticism."
Amongst the highlights of the programme, Leonardo Boff's speech on the Greccio Nativity scene and that of Daniele Solvi, professor of Medieval Latin Literature and Humanities at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (Italy), on "The Rule of Francis: a text in history". On the second day, Adelaide Ricci, professor at the University of Pavia (Italy), gave a talk on "Apparuit Effigies: the stigmata between texts, images and memory".
Participants were also able to visit the First Exhibition of Photographs "Franciscans in the Republic: from memories to daily experiences in southern Brazil (1891 - 1941)", by the author Fabiano Batista Rodrigues, identified during his doctorate in Educational Sciences, discussed in 2024 at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, and which portray the daily life of the friars.
With the contribution of Br. Gilberto da Silva, OFM
