Fraternal and Pastoral Visits to Central America and Cuba

During the period 14th January to 6th February 1999, the Minister General Emanuela De Nunzio, the Vice Minister Encarnacion del Pozo and the General Assistant Fr. Valentin Redondo OFM Conv visisted the six national fraternities of Central America: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. They also participated in the XI Central American Congress of the SFO in Panama before finishing with a visit to Cuba.

Central America is a magnificent region of the world. It is the isthmus which joins the two large areas of the American continent. A chain of mountains, many volcanoes, run across the region which is lapped by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. From our experience, we must stress not only the beauty of these lands, but even more the friendliness of the inhabitants, their capacity to overcome obstacles, to survive the natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, earthquakes …). They have a characteristic sense of hospitality. They, who lack so many things, offer everything with simplicity and generosity.

With regard to the catastrophe of hurricane "Mitch" the situation we saw in some countries, after two and a half months, was terrible. Large expanses covered in water, mountains devastated by the action of water and the landslides which had buried villages and districts. Communication networks were beginning to reopen thanks to international solidarity committed to the rebuilding of bridges and the opening of new roads or the reopening of existing ones. We saw, with immense sadness, some camps organised to receive the injured, composed of little hovels made of four poles covered with sheets of black plastic. Many cities still lack running water and light. For a short time we shared the want of our brothers and sisters. Many of them still experience hardship and will experience it for a long time.

At this time we are still continuing to show our fraternity, our love, to our brothers and sisters of the SFO in Central America through the sharing of goods. We are aware of the deep and generous response of many brothers and sisters, and many fraternities, in order to alleviate as much as possible the damage caused. These solid expressions are the best witness of hope and love that it is possible to offer. Different needs were described to us during our visit. For some it has already been possible to intervene: this is the case of a brother of Nicaragua, Minister of his fraternity, who was swept away and buried in the mud for some days, with the consequent loss of a leg. A fraternity from Rome has partially financed the prothesis which he needs. Other cases are impending, like the rebuilding of the homes of some of our brothers, scholastic materials … We must not forget: help will be needed for a long time yet.

Passing from one country to another, from one national fraternity to another, we noted the diversity of situations which we found there where we thought they would be substantially the same. Diversity in the political, social and cultural situations of the countries. Diversity in numerical size and in the composition of the SFO fraternities (urban, rural, indigenous …), in formation, in the different ways of being present and of fitting into society, into the Church, in apostolic activity. Diversity in the degree of commitment, of activity and of vitality in the national councils. Diversity with respect to the spiritual assistance which they can count on, and in the way it is conceived, as much by the seculars as the religious. Diversity with respect to Youfra and to its relationship/integration with the SFO. Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala are not the same as El Salvador where the fraternities of the youth are dispersed because of the war.

We have also ascertained - and this is constant - the faithfulness of the brothers and sisters to their vocation. It is the same for fraternity life, with regular meetings, generally attended, notwithstanding the great distances that some members must travel, even on foot, and the overcoming of many difficulties, including those of acceptance and understanding in some parish churches.

The problem of deepening formation is almost constant throughout Central America, especially initial formation for which a complete programme has been drawn up at a Central American level. It is established in each national fraternity by formation assistants, ministers and other leaders, adapting the theoretical aspects and methodology to their own situation and specific needs under the responsibility of each national council.

Above all, we have been able to verify many times that in order to help overcome and correct particular situations and to solve problems that negatively influence the life of the national fraternity, it is necessary to make fraternal and pastoral visists regularly, preparing for them adequately and with due anticipation, and making national councils understand the importance of this vital event for which they must prepare themselves appropriately, so that it has a positive effect on the national fraternity.

I would like to convey - or at least I am trying to do it - the experience given to us in the meetings we had with many "simple" brothers and sisters. They offered us the teaching of the Beatitudes, especially in the little, in the day to day, in the immediacy. Also our brothers and sisters there who, in spite of their sad experiences of war and recent guerilla warfare (especially in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador) and who experience tremendous natural disasters which lash them frequently, teach us in a practical way that life is a gift from God, that peace and fraternity are possible, that joy is a foolish dream, and that justice can be a questionable luxury. They affirm it and live it with conviction and deep serenity. We have encouraged them that - through formation, in the search for our identity, in our being Franciscan and secular and in the affirmation of our vocation, to which the leaders of the SFO in almost all countries are committed, and by means of the fraternity (which exalts, makes perfect and completes the solidarity) - if they feel themselves led, with the "force of the little" to transform the social and also the ecclesial situations, abandoning passive and conformist attitudes which are in clear contradiction to our Rule, which invites us insistently to be present in all areas of life, with the witness of our lives and with courageous initiatives, individual and communal, in keeping with our faith.

We finished our travels of more than 26 days in Cuba where the SFO received its first visit from the Minister General of our Order and also from a General Assistant. We encountered the positive situation of a small SFO, but dynamic and creative, that put in great effort in order to offer an adequate formation to its members even though lacking means and appropriate resources and to distribute what it was able to prepare. Recently they have renewed the national council which is turning its attention, with dedication and responsibility, to rebuilding existing fraternities and forming new ones, grasping the opportunity offered by the strong interest in the Church and the increasing interest of many Christians in Franciscan spirituality. In spite of this, they see pressures to "slow down" a little this enthusiasm because of the lack of suitable formators and animators (lay, religious and priests) since the primary task that is to offer a basic Christian formation before speaking about Franciscan spirituality.

The national council has reasonable and logical projects. They are arranging a competent group, vivacious and confident, which is seeking to integrate all the members of the SFO of Cuba in a common objective at national level and which aims to develop and strengthen the bonds of communion with the whole SFO, with the help of CIOFS. We are urging all the Spanish speaking national councils to "listen" to their need for formative and informative material, and all other national councils to collaborate with the initiatives of the CIOFS Presidency which has opened "Project Cuba" in order to channel all efforts to make the achievement of their objectives possible.