The Holy Father has appointed Mons. Claudio Hummes, OFM, Archbishop of Sao Paolo, Brasil, a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture. (OR.15.11.98).

During the third public session of the Pontifical Academies (07.11.98), the Holy Father bestowed the Award of the Pontifical Academies on Dr. Deyanira F.Gonzalez, originally from Costa Rica, and Pontifical Medals on two other newly qualified people, Dr. Marielle Lamy of France, and Fr. Johannes Schneider, OFM, of Austria. These honours were given in consideration of the thesis "The Virgin made Church: the presence of Mary in the Crucifix of San Damiano and in the Office of the Passion of St. Francis of Assisi", which was presented at the Antonianum in Rome. The Award was instituted two years ago to encourage young university students, artists and institutions to contribute to the development of religious sciences, of christian humanism, and of their artistic expressions.

The friars of the Province of St.Thomas the Apostle celebrated the 50^th year of their presence in India on 20 May 1998, commemorating the arrival of the first friars in Bangalore on 20 May 1948. The jubilee celebration, begun on 20 May, reached its climax with the coming together of about 60 Indian friars and another 20 expatriates for the celebration of a Plenary Council of the Province held in Bangalore, 19-23 October 1998. The theme chosen for the Plenary Council was "Friars Minor and Evangelization", using as key-words: life, mission and vision. The presence of two General Definitors, ff. Xavier Yu and Sean Collins, and the messages sent for the occasion by both the Minister General, fr. Giacomo Bini, and the Dutch Minister Provincal, fr. Jan van Duijnhoven, increased the joy of the celebration and gave new impetus to the franciscan spirit locally. The presence of notable personalities from other countries gave the festive occasion an international flavour. The friars were honoured by the presence of the Bishop Emeritus, Mons. Bonaventure Paul, of Karachi, who was one of the first postulants in Bangalore in 1948. The sharing of lives lived, of experiences and of dreams, young and old, gave courage and hope for the years to come. The essence of the celebration was captured in the words of the Minister Provincial, fr. Scaria Varanath: "to share the memory in order to be open to prophecy." In the concluding Eucharist, the Provincial indicated that the Indian Province had decided to provide formation every year for three friars from another country who might like to study in India, providing for their sustenance, and this as a sign of solidarity with the international fraternity. The 50^th Jubilee had increased the sense of solidarity and joy which comes from being franciscan.

The Franciscan Institute, in St.Bonaventure University, offers academic courses in theology, spirituality, history and the franciscan sources, as well as a special program for those responsible for formation. The courses offer opportunities at doctorate level, or the level of higher diploma in franciscan studies, and can be valuable for personal development. A limited number of places are reserved for franciscan men and women missionaries. For further information, please apply to fr. Anthony Carrozzo, The Franciscan Institute, St.Bonaventure, NY 14778, U.S.A. (e-mail: carrozzo@sbu.edu.)

The members of the commission concerned with the revitalization of the OFM presence in Morocco met in Cardinal Cisneros College in Madrid on 30-31 October last. The members of the commission were ff. Peter Williams and Jose Rodriguez Carballo, representing the General Curia; the Custodes of Tangiers and Marrakesh, and the Granada Province's Delegate for Morocco. Also present were the Provincial Ministers of Santiago di Compostela and of Granada (Spain), and of the Three Companions (France-Belgium). The meeting prepared some "orientations" for any new volunteer friars who may feel called to this mission.

The Province of St. Joseph in Belgium has celebrated the fifth centenary of the birth of fr. Joos De Rycke, born in Malines on 29 October, 1498. Son of a noble family, part of the royal court, he entered the Order in 1515. He attended the General Chapter of the Order held in Toulouse in 1532, and received permission there to go to America as a missionary. After an eventful journey, he arrived in Quito on 6 December 1535, one year after the collapse of the Inca empire. Fr. Joos left many informative letters on a variety of issues: the Incas, the practices and methods of the Conquistadors, pastoral work. He was involved in many activities: he built the church and the huge convent, which is still today one of the artistic treasures of Quito; he introduced new methods of agriculture; he founded the famous "College of the Andes," which still functions; he laid the foundations for a school of painting; and he increased the number of franciscan foundations. In 1569 he was appointed Guardian in Popayan, Colombia. He died in Popayan, probably in 1578. The people of Ecuador named him "Father of the Fatherland." He is one of the great figures in the history of Ecuador. On 27 October 1998 the Embassy of Belgium in Quito held a solemn reception; on 29 October solemn ceremonies were held in the Church of St.Francis; and on 30 October there was a special session of the Parliament. In Belgium, a short biography was published, an exhibition was arranged in Malines, and on 8 November Belgian TV presented a special programme. In making his decision to go to America, fr. Joos was perhaps influenced by this confrere fr. Pieter van der Moere (Pedro de Gante). They both came from the same neighbourhood and knew one another in Ghent. Fr. Pieter went to Mexico ten years earlier, and became the "Father of the Fatherland" of Mexico.

The General Definitorium and the friars working in the Holy See met together on 4 November. Ten of the eleven friars in the Holy See were present. The Minister General, in his own name and in the name of the Definitorium, gave respect and recognition to the work these friars do. Each of the friars indicated the work he does in the Roman Curia, explaining both the delicacy of the work itself and the not inconsiderable commitment that it requires. It was also underlined that the active presence of friars in the offices of the Holy See touches the very heart of the franciscan vocation, just as it is also a great honour for the Order. Fr. Fabio Duque, Undersecretary in the Pontifical Council for Culture, spoke briefly of "dialogue with cultures;" the dialogue "ad intra" in relation to formation, and "ad extra" in relation to the missions. His emphasis included:

• The life of prayer and the spirit of prayer and devotion "to which all other things must be subservient."
• The bonds with the fraternity, which should exist and should be active between the brothers, wherever they are and whatever work they do.
• Mutual recognition and collaboration between the friars.
• Dialogue, which helps the growth of love of God and of the brothers, and creates an authentic communion and a sense of belonging to a universal fraternity.

A meeting was held in the General Curia from 29 October to 4 November, 1998, bringing together the staff of the Development Office and the International Fund Raising Commission. The Office and the Commission share two general objectives:

• The organization of financial support for the Order, through an increase in the ordinary contributions coming from the Provinces;
• The collection of funds, with the permission of the Minister General, for immediate needs and for the support of the projects of the international fraternity.

On the occasion of the Great Jubilee of 2000, a "campaign of information" will be launched, inviting the friars and the provinces to contribute to the initiatives of the Order, in a spirit of solidarity and according to their ability. This initiative has been called "The Jubilee Project" and it will commence on 4 October 1999. Before the project is launched every necessary clarification will be provided.

During the November meeting, experts in the financial field assisted the participants to reflect on methods and strategies for achieving their objectives. At the end of the discussions, the Commission explained its conclusions to the Minister General and the Economic Commission of the Definitorium (CED). The definitive and detailed programme of the "Jubilee Project" will be presented to the General Definitorium in January 1999.

The Commission was later divided into two groups: one group will work for the organization of the "Jubilee Project;" the other for the creation and development of the "Fund for human, Christian and franciscan formation in mission territory," which was approved by the General Definitory in its session of 2 April 1998.

The Development Office of the General Curia, through appeals to benefactors and through contacts with Foundations, collected US$190.000 (about 301.444.989 italian lire) in the period January to October 1998. The money collected was transferred to the General Bursar's Office which attended to its distribution according to the intentions of the donors and according to the directives of the Minister General and General Definitory (for formation or for other projects of the Order).

Mass stipends accounted for an additional US$119.471 (198.441.927 italian lire). This income, and the work done by the Development Office and the Fund Raising Commission, do not substitute, obviously, for the ordinary contributions sent to the Order from its various entities.

Witnesses to Communion
Faced with injustice, division, racism, and "closure" of every type, what is our task? Often it is clear, but we do not manage to do what we know we should. For years now we have recognised that individualism and provincialism prevent growth, and contrast with the fraternal dimension of our charism, but we have not managed to escape them.

We are ready to denounce injustice, racism and ethnic violence; but our words and proclamations are contradicted by our daily life. Too often nationalism and regional resentment impede the slightest inter-provincial collaboration. Groups of Friars who live in the same area do not manage to meet, because perhaps they come from different provinces or nations. But how can we have the courage to denounce others if we are not reconciled with each other, if we do not speak from a concrete experience of fraternity, or at least from the effort of trying to construct fraternity among ourselves?

Individualism among the Friars, which we have condemned for years and which is typical of our culture, is slow to die and obstructs every form of creativity.

Towards a Project of Evangelical Fraternity
Improvisation, emergency and survival remain the immediate commitments that daily absorb almost all the energy of the majority of Friars. As local, provincial and international Fraternities, we do not manage to look to the future with faith and hope. It still seems that in order to be creative one needs to put oneself at the fringes of a Fraternity, i.e. outside our most fundamental charism: that of being an evangelical fraternity at the service of the Kingdom, a fraternity in minority.
Fr. Giacomo Bini, to the European Provincial Ministers (Warsaw, October '98)

47 young franciscan men and women (15 OFM, 7 OFMCap., 14 Poor Clares and 11 TOR), with 10 men and women formators, came together at Lione-Francheville last summer (29 August-5 September) for a Franciscan Summer School. The school is four years old now, and is structured to have one week-long session each year for three years. Each session presents a theme based on one period of the Order's history, with a view to knowing the "franciscan patrimony" in its totality (historical, philosophical, theological, spiritual and cultural) and to exercising a reflective critique on our own times. Any young member of the Franciscan Family (including lay members) may participate in the course. The School is also open to foreign people who know the French language. In midweek there is a day of fraternal relaxation and a cultural visit. This year the group reflected on the experiences of people after the Second World War, and on the renewal called for by the Vatican Council, with time given to creativity inspired by the Holy Spirit. The session of 2000 will consider the initial period of the franciscan movement. Further information may be obtained from: Fr. Jean-Baptiste AUBERGER, Ermitage La Cordelle, F-89450 Vezelay. (Fax: +33.3.863 335 36).

The Vicar General visited the five provinces of Poland (6-24 October 1998), where he was greeted with wonderful hospitality and fraternity. He was accompanied by Definitors General Fr. Kapistran Martzall, and, later, Peter Williams. The group also participated in the Assembly of the Provincial Ministers of Europe. Thanks to good organization, three types of encounter took place: with the postulants and novices, with the friars in temporary vows, and with the Guardians and Definitors. The different reflections, adapted somewhat to each group, centred on the following themes:

• The franciscan vocation and mission: a form of life, the franciscan in the year 2000;
• the Guardian's ministry: animator of the franciscan vocation and mission.

On each occasion, fr. Peter Williams also outlined the "Missionary Projects" of the Order. The members of the General Definitory returned to Rome profoundly impressed by the vitality of franciscan life in the five provinces of Poland.

The Association Assisi Pax International has been set up in Assisi. The Association, which draws its own methodology from the experience of peace lived by St.Francis, has its juridical base at the sanctuary of the home of Francis' parents (Chiesa Nuova). Its objective is to study the possibility of creating a culture and a civilization of peace. Civiltà di Pace, a book published by the Editrice Porziuncola, offers some guidelines for reflection and action. The plan of the Association is to have friends in various places who might give life to the Assisi Pax in their own local areas. It is hoped to have meetings that will adapt the proposals of the Association to the local culture. To contact the Association or receive its Statutes and other information, write to Assisi Pax International, Via San Bernardino da Siena 12, 06088 S.Maria degli Angeli (PG), Italia. Tel.+39.75.804 4485; Fax. +39.75.804 4484.

The following friars have returned to their Provinces: Fr. Luis Alberto Toro Valencia (S. Fede, Colombia); Fr. Felix Saiz (S. Francesco Solano, Peru).