News
Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
Rome
Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It is a holiday in Rome, but the CGP continues its work. It must be said that it is our last day before the conclusion of the meeting which will take place tomorrow morning, so we have to accelerate our pace to examine the pending files. We addressed the question of the "stable patrimony" of the congregation. It is a matter of defining the goods that are useful for the life of the communities and of the Institute and that cannot be alienated without broad agreement. We have prepared a text that will be studied at the 34th General Chapter. The provinces have done the same work on their side. We have taken note of a document entitled "Organization and progress of the General Chapter". It is a text known by the participants of previous General Chapters, but which has been updated to take into account the evolution of the law, such as the possibility of electing a religious brother as major superior. Together with the so-called "Brajon" text, it is one of the two useful documents for conducting Chapter discussions in good conditions of impartiality and respect for mutual listening. The concrete aspects of the animation of the chapter were examined. It will be necessary to call upon the skills of one or another brother to help the Chapter assembly to run smoothly: translators, interpreters, secretaries, liturgical animators, preacher, decoration, etc. Father Yves presented the region of Kinshasa to us to support his request for the creation of the vicariate. We have heard the arguments in favor of it, but there are still some points to be settled before taking this new step in the life of the Assumption in Western Congo. We will proceed to the vote tomorrow morning...
The question of abuse of minors or of people at risk was again examined. We are well aware that we have progress to make in prevention, in listening to complainants, in protecting minors in our institutions, and especially in a more sustained policy of formation for religious.
To conclude our day, we invited Sr. Nathalie Becquart, a Xavierian religious sister, who is the undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops. She is the first woman to have the right to vote in the Synod. She explained in detail the synodal process underway and challenged us to move towards a "synodal consecrated life". For this to happen, we need a more inclusive Church, capable of working with different sensitivities and moving away from clericalism. There is no doubt that this must have repercussions on the formation of Assumptionists. It will also be necessary to inscribe synodality in the structures of congregational government. A conversion of mentalities must accompany the evolution of structures. We concluded our day with the singing of Vespers and a fraternal meal with our guest.