VATICAN CITY - In 1209, St. Francis and his initial followers set out on foot from Assisi to Rome to meet with the Lord Pope Innocent III. Their goal was to seek an audience with the Holy Father so that they might ask for approval for their way of life - to live as brothers, to live as the lesser ones, to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There were 12 friars on that journey to Rome more than 800 years ago, but today more than 160 friars made a similar journey, again from Assisi to Rome, again to meet with the Lord Pope. This time it is our extraordinary Pope who shares the name, the heart and the charism of our beloved founder St. Francis. And today, Pope Francis encouraged us once again, go out as men of the Gospel and to be " carriers of mercy, carriers of reconciliation and carriers of peace."

The day began early with Masses celebrated in language groups early followed by an early breakfast. Three buses left from the Domus Pacis in the shadow of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli at 7:30 to make their way to St. Peter's and the Holy Father. Upon arrival, we made our way through the labyrinthine structures of the Vatican eventually arriving at the Sala Clementina in the Apostolic Palace where Pope Francis received the friars just after noontime.

After a brief address by General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM, Pope Francis spoke to the friars. Picking up on the theme of the General Chapter - Friars and Lesser Ones in our Times - the Holy Father focused his comments on two aspects of this theme - fraternity and minority.

Speaking of minority, or being lesser, the Pope said:

"Minority calls us to be and to feel small before God, relying totally on his infinite mercy.

The perspective of mercy is incomprehensible to those who do not see themselves as "minor", that is, small, needy and sinners before God.  The more we are aware of this, the closer we are to salvation; the more we are convinced that we are sinners, the more we are open to being saved. This is what happens in the Gospel: people who identify with the poor before Jesus are saved; those who do not believe this do not receive salvation, not because they have been offered this, but because they have not accepted it. Minority also means coming out of ourselves, out of our own agenda and personal views; it means going beyond structures - which are also useful if used wisely - to go beyond habits and certainties, to witness to concrete closeness to the poor, the needy, the marginalized, in an authentic attitude of sharing and service."

Pope Francis with the friars today

He encouraged the friars to strengthen the bonds of their fraternities. The Pope said:

"In the early Church, Christians lived in fraternal community to such an extent as to constitute an attractive and eloquent sign of unity and charity. People were amazed to see Christians so united in love, so helpful in giving and in mutual forgiveness, so sympathetic in mercy, benevolence, mutual help, unanimous in sharing the joys, sufferings and experiences of life.  Your religious family is called to express this fraternity concretely, by recovering this mutual trust - and I stress this: recovery of trust - in interpersonal relationships, so that the world may see and believe, acknowledging that Christ's love heals wounds and it makes us one."

 

The Pope, calling upon our Franciscan tradition of going out into the word, once again called us to be active in bringing this mercy and love of Christ to the world, especially to the margins. The Holy Father said:

 

"It is important to recover a consciousness of being carriers of mercy, carriers of reconciliation and carriers of peace. Fruitfully realize this vocation and mission and you will be more and more a congregation that goes out. This indeed corresponds to your charism...It is said that when the first friars were asked to show their cloisters, they climbed a hill and, showing the land around, as far as the eye could see, they answered, 'This is our cloister'. Dear brothers, continue to go into this cloister, which is the whole world, driven by Christ's love, as St. Francis invites you to do when he says 'I counsel, warn and exhort my friars in the Lord Jesus Christ, that when they go about through the world, they are not to quarrel nor contend in words, nor are they to judge others, but they are to be meek, peaceable and modest, meek and humble, speaking uprightly to all, as is fitting. ... Into whatever house they may enter, first let them say: 'Peace to this house', and it is lawful to eat any of the foods which are placed before them'. This last thing is good!" 

 

Pope Francis encouraged the friars to remain prophetic in their embrace of Saint Francis' exhortation, words which echo the desires expressed early in the Chapter for a prophetic moment. The Holy Father said:

 

"These exhortations are of great relevance. They are a prophecy of fraternity and minority for today's world too. How important it is to live a Christian and religious existence without losing oneself in disputes and gossip, cultivating a serene dialogue with all, with gentleness, meekness and humility, with poor means, announcing peace and living soberly, content with what is offered to us! This also requires decisive commitment to transparency, to the ethical and fraternal use of goods, in a style of sobriety."

 

Pope Francis embraces General Minister Michael A. Perry, OFM

 

The Pope's words were not without challenge. He strongly reminded the friars of the consequences of being untrue to our charism and calling. He said:

 

"If, instead, you are attached to worldly goods and wealth, and place your security there, it will be the Lord Himself Who will strip you of this spirit of worldliness in order to preserve this valuable heritage of minority and poverty to which He has called you through St. Francis. You will either be freely poor and minor, or find yourselves stripped."

 

He concluded his brief presentation with a reminder, always, to rely on the true General Minister of the Order, the Holy Spirit of God. He said:

 

"The Holy Spirit is the inspiration for religious life. When consecrated persons let themselves be enlightened and guided by the Spirit, they discover in this supernatural vision the secret of their fraternity, the inspiration for their service to their brothers, the strength of their prophetic presence in the Church and in the world. The light and the strength of the Spirit will also help you face the challenges that lie before you, especially the numerical decrease, ageing and diminution of new vocations".

 

He praised the 800 year tradition of our Order, one that has placed us close to the People of God who have returned that closeness with their love for the friars.

 

"The people of God love you. Cardinal Quarracino once said: 'In our cities there are groups or people who are against the clergy, and when a priest passes by they say certain things to him - in Argentina they call them 'crows.But I have never, ever heard these remarks in the presence of a Franciscan habit. Why? You have inherited authority with the people of God with your minority, fraternity, meekness, humility, and poverty. Please preserve this! Do not lose it. The people love you."

 

The Pope then closed the time with prayer and then remarkably, he greeted each of the 160 plus friars in attendance one-by-one, sharing brief words with each, and offering to each friar a blessed rosary. 

The friars returned back to the Domus Pacis enlivened and invigorated by their encounter with Pope Francis.

Group Photo in the Sala Clementina