The new Conference of North Africa and the Middle East is born

On Monday, the 17th March7, 2025, the erection of the new Conference of North Africa and the Middle East (CONAMO) of the Order of Friars Minor was celebrated in the General Curia, composed of: 

 Province of the Holy Family (Egypt) 

• Custody of the Holy Land 
• Custody of the Protomartyrs of Morocco 
• Istanbul Guardiante (Turkey) 
• Apostolic Vicariates of Tripoli and Benghazi (Libya) 

 The meeting was moderated by Br. John Wong, General Definitor for Asia and Oceania, who welcomed those present: the members of the General Definitory, the Secretaries and Directors of the Offices of the Curia and the representatives of the Entities of the new Conference: Br. Stéphane Delavelle, Custos of the Custody of the Protomartyrs of Morocco; Br. Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land; Br. Magdy Helmy, of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli, Libya; Br. Eleuthère Makuta, Guardian of the International Franciscan Community of Istanbul, Turkey; Br. Mourad Mousa, Minister Provincial of the Province of the Holy Family, Egypt. 

After a moment of prayer, the Vicar General, Br. Ignacio Ceja, chosen as the representative of CONAMO within the General Definitory, gave a solemn reading of the Decree of erection of the new Conference, which was followed by the message of the Minister General, entitled Living together as brothers in lands of encounter. 

 "You will share bread with the hungry, you will bring the poor and homeless into your home...": with these words of the prophet Isaiah (Is 58:7), Br. Massimo Fusarelli underlined the importance and essence of the Franciscan presence in the lands of North Africa and the Middle East, lands where different religions meet, where the Mediterranean is a bridge between different cultures. 

 Addressing the representatives of the Entities involved, Br. Massimo recalled Chapter XVI of the Regula Non Bullata, as it is a reality with an Islamic majority, a characteristic that cannot be seen as a limitation, but rather as an "extraordinary opportunity". The Gospel, in fact, "invites us to a presence of minors, of brothers and sisters, capable of relationships of friendship and simplicity, avoiding any form that gives us visibility and power. Let us show with facts that living the Gospel is possible even just by learning to be amongst and with the people," said the Minister.  

 Not strategy, therefore, but style: living the Gospel even just by learning to live with the people, amongst the people, through dialogue, speaking their language, offering shelter and help to the needy, of whatever origin and religion they may be, as Pope Francis recalls in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti. 

The hope is that this new Conference will also be a laboratory for the whole Order, "where new forms of animation and collaboration can be experimented, privileging the quality of fraternal life and the authenticity of evangelical witness", especially in favor of interreligious dialogue, justice, peace and integrity of creation, of migrants, as the Franciscan Mediterranean Network is already doing. 

The Minister General underlined the importance of being in these lands, for the Order and for the whole Church, for the Christians present, for the custody of the Holy Places, becoming a living and eloquent sign of welcome, fraternal relations, mutual respect, dialogue, and a culture of peace. 

 The creation of the new Conference was well received by those present. Br. Mourad Mousa (Egypt) said he was happy with this new Entity, which he himself proposed to the 2021 General Chapter, emphasizing the importance of initial and ongoing formation for dialogue: Br. Stéphane Delavelle (Morocco) recalled how, despite the differences between the various realities, common paths are already being made, and emphasized the importance of connecting with the people, starting with learning the Arabic language. Br. Eleuthère Makuta (Turkey), who recently launched the invitation to the 19th Course on Interreligious and Ecumenical Dialogue, highlighted the variety of the Islamic world, "a true richness", focusing especially on the importance of welcoming migrants. Br. Ibrahim Faltas (Holy Land) recalled that the friars in the Holy Places interface not only with Muslims, but also with Jews and Druze. 

The recitation of the Hail Mary in Arabic concluded the first phase of the meeting. 

After the break, those present elected: 

Br. Francesco Patton (Custos of the Holy Land) President of CONAMO; 
Br. Mourad Mousa Vice President; 
Br. Stéphane Delavelle Economo;  
Br. Magdy Helmy Segretario. 

After the creation of the new English-speaking and French-speaking Conferences of Africa, the birth of CONAMO also responds to the call to renew the structures of the OFM to better serve life and mission, as requested by the 2021 General Chapter. Specifically, this new Conference aims to give space for meeting, collaboration and future to the Mediterranean Entities, showing their specificity. 

Read the Minister General's message (Italian)