SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 2 - N. 27 - 1996 - July - I
From: CIOFS Bulletin, 1996, N. 1
Emanuela De Nunzio
The Council of the Presidency of the CIOFS met in Rome February
1-7, 1996.
Fr. Zvonimir Brusac took part in this meeting for the first time as
the new Assistant General, TOR. The other recently nominated
Assistant General, Fr. Valentin Redondo, OFM Conv., was unable to
be present. Fr. Valentin is still the Provincial Minister of Spain
for his Order and therefore he must conciliate these two duties
until his term in Spain is completed at the next Provincial
Chapter.
Also the Assistant General Fr. Ben Brevoort, OFMCap., is coming to the end of his first six year mandate, and the Capucine Minister General has asked the CIOFS Presidency about a possible reconfirmation. We all unanimously approved and are grateful to Fr. Corriveau for his advice about SFO legislation and to Fr. Ben for his most generous collaboration.
The meeting of the Presidency was dedicated principally to the preparation of the General Chapter to be held in July. The final text of the Rules of the Chapter was decided and also the program, to be approved by the delegates. Some suggestions for the groupingof the national Fraternities have been made which will be the basis for determining the "linguistic areas" for the election of the Councillors of the new CIOFS Presidency.
The above documentation shall be sent in time for information to the delegates so that they may prepare their suggestions beforehand, thus speeding up the discussion at the meeting. The Presidency, in fact, is well aware of the lack of time and the importance of the questions to be debated and decided at the Chapter. Neither do we fail to consider the great need for time to exchange information, to make evaluations and share experiences among the delegates, especially among those countries that have similar situations and common problems.
During the Chapter, further to the mere elective matters and connected tasks (definition of the "areas"), we must deal with two topics announced in our circular letters in 1995: revision of the General Constitutions of the SFO and reflection about the future of the SFO.
With reference to the first topic only a few replies have come back to the National Councils. I wonder if this is due to the lack of time or to the lack of interest. The Presidency, however, has decided to prepare an organic document containing all observations sent in at a reasonable time to be translated. There shall be no discussion on the arguement, but the presentation of a proposal about the iter to be followed during the next three-years' period, in order to obtain with the utmost participation, a text of the General Constitutions to be discussed and approved at the Intermediate General Chapter of 1999.
The second topic - the future of the SFO - has gained more attention. We have received various answers, all very interesting and rich in many ideas to be evaluated. The discussion shall take place during the Chapter, in the study groups and in the Plenary Assembly. The motions that the delegates decide to vote can be introduced into the program of the six-years' period, 1996-2002, as provided for by Art.8.3 of the FIOFS Statute, that entrusts the General Chapter with the task to issue "dispositions and orientation for the life of the SFO".
The Presidency has also taken note of the elections of the new International Councillors but many countries have not yet made the relative communication. In this regard it has been noted that someone had doubts because the Decrees emanated in 1990 indicated the end of 1996 as the end of the mandate. Therefore many Councillors thought that those nominated in 1990, would remain in office and participate in the General Elective Chapter of July, 1996. This is not the case, because the Statute of the International Fraternity, entered into effect as from January 1, 1995, has modified the criteria for nomination of the International Councillors. The full and correct application of these criteria, contained in Articles 4 and 5, requires the renewal of the International Council by election of representatives of the recognized and emerging National Fraternities as well as of the International Councillors YOUFRA, in a number determined by the CIOFS Presidency.
There is also something new in the way expenses for participating in the Chapter are divided: in the past each delegate paid a fixed fee, the same for all, calculated on the individual cost of room and board and the general expenses (members of the Presidency and Secretariat, interpreters, cost of simultaneous translating, renting of photocopying machines, stationary expenses, printing of the Acts, etc.). Each one then paid its own travelling expenses which penalized those who came from far away from the seat of the Chapter. To avoid this we thought to establish a fixed quota-share that would comprehend travelling expenses for delegates, no matter where they were coming from. In that way the delegate that shall come to Rome from an Italian or European city shall pay the same amount as a delegate that comes from Australia. We have contacted a travel agency about the flight tariffs and, taking into consideration all the other expenses as well, we calculated an individual participation fee of USA$ 2,500. It is a high cost, unfortunately. Therefore we call on the National Councils of the wealthier countries and on the generousity of Secular Franciscans to sustain in fraternal solidarity the delegates of poor countries and of those countries with a small number of fraternities.
The Presidency also considered other subjects:
- it carefully studied the process of unification of the Italian
SFO, applying a document favouring this process;
- it approved guide-lines laid down by the General Assistant Fr.
Carl Schäfer, for the Fraternities of the SFO that wish to
promote and animate "Friends of St. Francis" groups;
- it approved a document prepared by the Committee on Formation
about the tasks and formation of the leaders of local Fraternities,
in order to offer its contribution to the topic of the Chapter,
"Which SFO for the year 2000?";
- it took notice of the fact that the work of the Juridical
Committee examining the National Statutes has slowed up because the
General Assistant Fr. Kevin Schindler-McGraw, who was doing the
revision in English and German, has been transferred;
- it took notice of the report of Marianne Powell on the situation
of Franciscans International which is going through a difficult
period in its relationship with the institutional structures of the
Franciscan Family;
- it agreed with the proposal of the General Assistant Fr. Ben
Brevoort, to organize an International Congress YOUFRA in
concomitance with the International Youth Day to be held in Paris
in 1997;
- it approved the 1995 budget and the proposed budget for 1996.
We were well aware that this meeting was the final one of the actual Presidency: we tried to live it with the will to work in the Fraternity with the joy that has been with us these five years and with intensity of prayer for the SFO that we have served during our mandate.