Visit of the Minister General to the Custody of Saint John the Baptist in Pakistan

From January 2 to 9, 2026, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, together with Br. John Wong, Definitor General (Asia-Oceania), made a fraternal visit to the Custody of Saint John the Baptist in Pakistan.

The visit included meetings at some of the friars’ fraternities and ministries in Karachi and Hyderabad, including to tribal villages in the rural interior of Sind Province, allowing the visitors to know directly the daily life and apostolate of the brothers in this particular context. The culminating moment was the Custody Assembly that brought together all the friars of the Custody, offering a privileged space for listening and sharing.

An assembly of listening and discernment

During the assembly, the Minister General and the Definitor were able to listen attentively to what the friars live and work in this land, gathering their testimonies about the daily challenges and difficulties, but also about the hopes and aspirations for the future of the Franciscan presence in Pakistan.

The assembly focused on the message of the Canticle of Creatures, of which this year marks the 800th anniversary of its composition. Precisely in light of this fundamental text of Franciscan spirituality, the need for the friars to grow in the experience of universal fraternity, of being all connected as brothers, emerged with clarity. The urgency of living ever better with a project of life and a community dimension that are well thought out, welcomed and carried forward together also appeared, in order to profoundly renew the life of the Custody.

The assembly culminated in a dialogue and Mass with representatives of Franciscan religious, the Secular Franciscan Order, and collaborators of the Franciscan family.

The encounter with young friars

Particularly significant was the meeting with the young friars in formation. Their joy in responding to the Franciscan vocation and their expectations for the future represented a very challenging and stimulating moment. The custody can count on a good number of young friars, a sign of vitality and hope for the future journey.

A minority but vibrant Church

The visit to the educational, charitable and pastoral activities of the friars allowed us to see up close the reality of the Church in Pakistan: small, minority, but very much alive and capable of moving with wisdom in a multireligious and multicultural context, particularly in dialogue with the Muslim world. The friars offer a precious service in this delicate context, witnessing to the Gospel through their fraternal presence and their commitment to the poorest.

Looking to the future

The Custody of Saint John the Baptist is committed to growing ever more in the quality of life of fraternal communion, in the transparency of relationships and in the missionary response to the challenges and opportunities that this country offers. The visit of the Minister General and the Definitor aimed to confirm the brothers in this journey, encouraging them to continue with courage and creativity in their mission.

Br. Massimo and Br. John left Pakistan carrying in their hearts the joy and enthusiasm of the Pakistani brothers, their fidelity to the Franciscan vocation in a not-easy context, and the certainty that the Spirit continues to work also in this land, raising up vocations and animating the service of the friars on behalf of the people of God.

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The fraternal visit of the Minister General to the different realities of the Order throughout the world manifests the communion that unites all Friars Minor and the fraternal support that the leadership of the Order wishes to offer to each community in its journey of fidelity to the Gospel and to the charism of Saint Francis.